Neighbors
by spinach
Summary: Five years later, Sydney is over Vaughn and has moved on. When she and her husband decide to buy a new house, who, other than Vaughn and his wife are their neighbors? Will flames that had been suffocated re-ignite again?
1. Life Changes

Neighbors  
  
Summary: Sydney is over Vaughn and has moved on. When she and her husband decide to buy a new house, who, other than Vaughn and his wife are their neighbors?  
  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to J.J. Abrams and the TV show Alias and are not mine.... unfortunately.  
  
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Chap.1 - Life Changes  
  
"My feet are killing me!" Sydney groaned to her husband as they got out of their car and went into the house to meet with the realtor.  
"Maybe you shouldn't have worn those heels." He laughed. "They aren't exactly house-touring shoes."  
"Well...the store said they were out of those special house-touring shoes you're talking about."  
  
Her husband's deep blue eyes twinkled and when he was about to answer her sarcastic comment, the realtor interrupted them and began to show them around the house.  
  
"Come in! Come in! I saved the best for last! It has five regular bedrooms and a master, four and a half baths, a bonus room, a study, a pool, tennis court, high ceilings, four car garages, and the usual living room and family room as well as an added dining room. The materials are just excellent! Cherry wood for the cupboards and areas of hardwood, a small section of marble for the entry way, Italian tile for the bathrooms, and good carpet with a double padding underneath. The kitchen is to die for! It has granite topped counters, there's a barbeque area installed outside, a pantry. The molding has just exquisite carvings. Look, aren't they beautiful? This house is one of a kind. I really think that this is the house for you!"  
"Didn't she say that for the last 8 houses we looked at?" Sydney whispered to her husband.  
"Yes, but she said that in one breath, so maybe we should consider this one..." Sydney giggled at her husband's remark but looked around the spacious house in awe. This time, the realtor wasn't lying. It was the house for them.  
  
"Scott?"  
"Yes?"  
"I love it..." Scott Voyer looked at his wife and waited for her to finish. "I mean, it has an amazing view, it's close to work for both of us, it just seems right."  
"It really is perfect for us, but there are so many bedrooms, do we really need that many?"  
"All the more little Voyers," Sydney laughed. Scott grinned.  
"We'll take it."  
"Excellent! This is a new development so you'll get a good price for this house. It's an amazing neighborhood. There's an elementary school in walking distance, a school bus for the middle and high school. A plaza will be built over the bridge, not very far away and there's talk of a new mall. Oh, I must be aging, this almost slipped my mind. Mr. and Mrs. Voyer, do you mind dogs?"  
"No...We don't have a problem with them." Scott said.  
"Well then, there's no issue there." To answer the confused look upon their faces the realtor explained, "A couple recently bought the house right next to yours and they own a dog. They say it's very friendly so I don't think it'll be a problem but you'd be surprised at the amount of people that don't particularly care for dogs."  
Sydney and Scott nodded.  
"Ok then, let's head back to the office so I can get your paperwork done."  
  
Two weeks later, on a bright and sunny day, Mr. and Mrs. Scott Voyer moved into their new home. As Sydney sat in the bedroom unpacking the linens and bedspreads while trying to direct the movers where to place the bed frame, tables, desks, and furniture, she heard a beeper go off. The familiar beep threw her into a wave of bad memories of beepers always interrupting perfect moments with her friends; she had always preferred hearing the telephone ring instead. But this time, it wasn't hers.  
  
"I'm sorry Syd. It's the hospital." Scott said apologetically to his wife.  
Sydney assured him. "I'll just finish up here. Just call me when you're coming home so I can start dinner, okay?"  
"Excellent." He replied, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "I'll be home as soon as I can." An hour later, Sydney finished unpacking the bedroom and had stored all the linens and towels in the linen closet. Feeling energized and happy with her new home, she decided to tackle the kitchen too.  
  
While she was removing the knives, pots, and pans she was deep in thought about the past five years. Vaughn and six other CIA agents had escorted her from the safe house in Hong Kong back to Los Angeles. At the time, she couldn't get past the initial shock that Vaughn was married to a woman that was not herself. She knew it was self-centered and selfish, but she couldn't imagine Vaughn loving or being with anyone else.  
  
Six months later, Jack had informed her of an open position at Langley and she took the job so she could start fresh and not have to think about anything but her job. After working at Langley for a year, she had met Scott after she had been wounded in a mission at Colombia. When they started dating, the pain lessened. When Scott made the perfect proposal to her in a romantic and snug French bistro, the pain lessened even more. And when they were finally joined in holy matrimony, the pain was obliterated. It was then when she understood how Vaughn could be with another woman.  
  
After two years of blissful marriage, Scott had received a promotion that would result in a move back to California. Sydney missed her father and Will, who had survived the gun shot wounds and had since resigned from the CIA, and was eager to return. Although any mention of Vaughn still tugged at her heartstrings, whenever Sydney looked at Scott she didn't feel any regret or feel that he was only second-best. She was filled with warmth and had the feeling that she was about to burst with happiness, so she knew that she was in love.  
  
The telephone then started to ring, making Sydney jump and snapped her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Hello?"  
"Sydney?"  
  
"Dad?"  
"How are you?"  
"Fine, I'm just unpacking the kitchenware."  
"Good. Kendall has been asking when you will start."  
"Soon. I need to get everything unpacked and situated."  
"How's Scott?"  
"Fine. He's at the hospital right now."  
"I know you need to unpack, but I want you to come down to the office."  
"Dad...I really need a break from work and...." she trailed off.  
"Agent Vaughn is currently on a mission to Burma. He won't be back until Sunday." He interrupted.  
"But..."  
"Sydney. It's imperative that you come down here immediately."  
"Ok. I'll be there in fifteen minutes." Sydney sighed. Only her father really used words like 'imperative'.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Sydney walked through the doors that she was so familiar with. Mostly everyone was surprised to see her, and Sydney could tell by their faces that they all knew what had happened.  
  
"Sydney." Sydney turned her head to her left to see Vaughn and the shocked expression on his face.  
"Vaughn...I thought you were on a mission to Burma." Vaughn looked confused and answered,  
"No...I rarely go on missions anymore. My...wife..." He said uncomfortably, "is afraid something is going to happen to me." Sydney almost snorted but decided to nod instead.  
"Understandable."  
"Yea..."  
"Oh! I should go, I'm meeting my father."  
"Well...it was nice seeing you again."  
"You too." And with that she hurriedly walked away towards her father's private office. When she reached his office, she pushed open the door,  
"Dad!"  
"Sydney."  
"You said that Agent Vaughn was in Burma when he is actually sitting at his desk!"  
"I had to get you to come."  
"Why? What is so important that you had to make me...?" Sydney stopped in her tracks.  
  
She was so caught up in her agitation towards her father that she didn't notice that she was following him and there were gates that were opening in their paths. Once she did become aware of her surroundings, the last gate had closed shut and she was staring into the face of Arvin Sloane.  
  
She had thousands of emotions running throughout her body at the same time, but anger and hurt flared up bigger and faster than the rest.  
"You bastard! Why did you do this to me? WHY? ANSWER ME! Goddammit! Answer me!"  
  
Suddenly, she lashed out pounding and kicking at the barrier between them, screaming. When she found that it wouldn't break, she started on the door. Jack went to stop his daughter, but stopped. She had to let all her anger out. Sydney was then abruptly aware of how tired she was and slumped to the floor. Sullenly, she got up and regretted how she had let her emotions overcome her common sense. Slowly, she walked to stand in front of the glass and really looked at the prisoner.  
  
He had aged tremendously and looked like he was on the verge of collapsing. Normally, if Sydney had reacted this way, he would have just stared at her coldly, knowing that the barrier was unbreakable. If it wasn't, he wouldn't still be in that cell. But now, Arvin Sloane was nothing but normal.  
  
"Why am I the bastard? The fish is the one that's the bastard! I'm just an old man trying to catch this bastard fish!" Sloane cried. Sydney turned to her father.  
"Dad...what is the matter with him?"  
"He's gone insane. He doesn't really need to be in this cell because he doesn't remember anything that has happened in his lifetime. Not even Emily."  
"So why do you keep him here?"  
"For his own protection," Jack answered, "the CIA is getting to be a bit soft now. But lately Sloane apparently thinks that..."  
"He's the old man in Hemingway's classic The Old Man of the Sea." Sydney finished. She looked at the shriveled old man that she despised with every fiber and tissue of her body. He started to crawl toward a corner of the room, crying out random words every inch he moved. "What about mom? Did you catch her too?"  
"We didn't catch Sloane," Jack answered, "Irina Derevko turned herself and Sloane in. She gave us massive amounts of accurate Intel, and we still don't know why she did it. Irina is under CIA surveillance and strict terms, but we allow her to live in her own house, buy her own food, much like parole except if she makes a wrong move, our group of sharp shooters will kill her at our command."  
"Was Sloane like this when she turned him in?"  
"No. He wouldn't talk and we were forced to torture him for information. He became mentally insane."  
  
When Sydney was about to ask him on the whereabouts of her mother, her cell phone began to vibrate in her pocket.  
  
"Hello?"  
"Sydney? Where are you? I'm sorry I forgot to call. I totally forgot."  
"Scott!" A feeling of relief encased Sydney and she looked at her watch, 8:47. "Oh, it's okay. I'm at the office right now with my dad, I lost track of time."  
  
Jack looked at his own watch and he signaled for them to leave. Sydney nodded and followed behind him.  
"Well, I just finished unpacking everything for the living room. Are you proud of me?"  
"Very." Sydney grinned. "Are you hungry? I can pick up some groceries on the way home."  
"That sounds great."  
"What do you feel like?"  
"Hmm...How do you feel about some macaroni and cheese?"  
  
Sydney laughed.  
  
"Very posh, Mr. Voyer."  
"Perhaps it is a bit extravagant." Scott joked in a British accent. Vaughn was tiding up to head home when caught the last bit of Sydney's conversation,  
"Okay, I'll be home soon...love you too...bye." He sat back down in a daze as a wave of jealousy overrode him. Sydney, with her heels clicking, walked past him in a hurry, not even noticing he was there.  
  
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	2. Scrambled Eggs

Chap. 2- Scrambled Eggs  
  
Vaughn slowly got out of his chair and finished sorting his papers and folders. When he was about to leave his cell phone started to ring.  
  
"Vaughn."  
"Honey? Why aren't you home yet? I thought you said that you'd be home for dinner!" Vaughn smacked his head and grimaced.  
"I'm so sorry. I just had so much work to do and I guess I...."  
"Forgot. Vaughn...you always forget. I cook a special dinner just for you and you don't even come home!"  
"I..." He started.  
"No! Michael, just come home, ok? I'll heat up the dinner."  
"Ok. I'm leaving right now."  
"Be careful on the roads."  
"I will. I'll see you soon."  
"Love you."  
"Bye." Vaughn answered absentmindedly.  
  
As he was driving home, he was only thinking about what Sydney had said. Who had she been talking to? Was she married? When he thought hard, he did remember Jack taking a vacation, something he never did, for two weeks to go visit Sydney. He had assumed that he was just going there to see her and nothing more.  
  
When he opened the door to his apartment, he found his wife heating up his dinner. She turned around to face him and smiled.  
  
"Hey."  
"Hey. That smells great."  
"It's a new recipe. Anyway, I finished packing up everything in the bedroom and bathroom. You'll have to do the storage downstairs."  
"Ok. I'm not going into the office tomorrow."  
"Good. Oh, and I went to check on our house and a couple bought the house next to ours and they've already moved in and everything."  
"They don't have a problem with dogs?"  
"Guess not." As if he knew that they were talking about him, Donovan walked over to Vaughn and sniffed his hand.  
"Did you already walk him?"  
"Mmhmm," she nodded, "he hasn't been fed yet. You know he doesn't like me feeding him."  
"Come on Donny, let's go get some food." Donovan followed his master to his bowl and ate hungrily.  
"Michael? Your dinner's ready."  
"Thanks Lauren, this looks great."  
"Your mother called today."  
"Really?" Vaughn looked up from his food, "What'd she say?"  
"She wants to come live with us for two weeks in the new house."  
"That's great! When's she coming?"  
"Well...she wanted to run it by you. She wouldn't take my word that it was okay."  
"It's too late to call now. I'll wait until tomorrow morning." Lauren nodded.  
  
An uncomfortable silence hung around the room, and having nothing to say to her husband, she started to walk to the bedroom.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked.  
"To bed. It's getting pretty late." Vaughn looked at his watch, 10:13.  
  
She never went to bed without him, or this early. He knew that something was bothering her.  
  
"Lauren? Sweetie? What's wrong?" He asked walking up to her and turning her to face him. There were tears in her eyes and her face was blotchy.  
"Oh, Michael! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" she cried into his chest.  
"Why what's the matter? Come on; let's go sit on the bed."  
"Well..." she hiccupped, "you know how we've been trying to have a baby?" Vaughn nodded as tears continued to fall down her face. "I thought I was pregnant, but I didn't tell you because I wanted to be sure." Vaughn started to smile.  
"You're..."  
"Let me finish." She interrupted him. "So I went to the doctor today, and the doctor told me that....that...." she started to cry hysterically.  
"Lauren, baby...what is it?"  
"...That I couldn't have children!" Lauren cried falling into a heap on the floor. Vaughn sat down next to her and hugged her.  
"Shh....it's okay. Shh..."  
  
The next morning, Vaughn woke up to the sound of the alarm clock. He pulled the comforter over his head, attempting to muffle the sound, but the persistent buzzing of the alarm made him get up.  
  
He rolled over to Lauren's side to give her a kiss, but he found that her side of the bed was cold and empty. Putting on his robe, he walked down the hall to find Lauren quietly packing the books into a large box, occasionally opening one and reading a phrase or two.  
  
She had heard his alarm clock and had anticipated him coming out of the room, so she pretended to be immersed into the packing. Vaughn opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He knew that she felt that she was letting him down, but oddly, he felt a bit relieved. He didn't know why, because all his life he had wanted a rambunctious gang of little boys and girls to make up a hockey team. But somehow, in the back of his mind and in his heart, he knew the reason why.  
  
Attempting to break the silence and lighten up the mood, he asked her,  
  
"You want some breakfast?"  
"No. I'm not hungry."  
"You haven't eaten. Come on."  
"No, Michael."  
"I'll make you some scrambled eggs, how about it?"  
  
When the words came out of his mouth, he would have given anything to be able to take them back. Lauren's face scrunched up and she ran sobbingly out of the room.  
  
"Lauren! Lauren! I meant the food..." he trailed off.  
  
He had learned from five and a half years of marriage that for the sake of his health, he should leave her alone. Sighing, he dialed Eric's number.  
  
"Hello?"  
"Hey, are you still going to help me move?"  
"Sure, man. I'll be there in a sec."  
  
Half and hour later, Eric walked into the apartment.  
  
"I thought you said that you'd be here in a sec."  
"Sorry. Lisa went shopping and left me with the kid. The babysitter didn't come until a minute ago." Vaughn sighed. Who would've thought that Eric would have a kid before he would?  
"It's okay. Just grab some boxes and we'll go down to the storage." Fifteen minutes into packing away the things in the storage, Eric looked closely at his friend's haggard face.  
"Rough night?"  
"How'd you know?"  
"How do I always know? I'm just gifted." Vaughn didn't answer and just bent over the boxes again, shaking his head, "Come on. It couldn't have been that bad."  
"Oh...yes it was."  
  
And Vaughn started telling Eric everything starting from when Sydney had breezed back into his life and ending at what had happened forty-five minutes ago. Eric doubled over with laughter, almost dropping the Belgian- waffle maker,  
  
"Oh man! Scrambled eggs!" and then cracking up again.  
"Ha. Ha. Ha." Vaughn said sarcastically.  
"Come on, you have to admit it is pretty funny." Vaughn ignored him and started packing things away as quickly as he could. "Wait, so there aren't going to be any little Michaels?" Vaughn shook his head. "Oh man!" Eric lamented, "Who's going to play with my kid in school? I was depending on your kid Vaughn. If Jake becomes a loner, I'm blaming it all on you. What kind of godfather are you anyways?"  
  
Two hours later, the storage was done and Vaughn was in a good mood again. Eric had hurried away, after helping Vaughn pack and carry the boxes upstairs. He climbed the wooden stairs and rode the elevator up to the apartment, tentatively opening the door, watching out for any flying pots and pans or dangerous kitchen cutlery.  
  
When it was all clear, he found Lauren sealing up five boxes and kicking them to the center of the room. She had obviously recovered and Vaughn knocked gently on the doorframe. She turned around and flew to him with her arms open.  
  
"Michael, I'm sorry I overreacted."  
"No, Lauren, I should be the one to apologize. I'm sorry." She hugged him, hard. And sighed with contentment.  
  
Three days later, the movers came and loaded all the boxes into the van and drove off in the direction of their new house. Lauren and Vaughn followed behind in their car and got out, directing the movers where to put the boxes.  
  
When the movers had cleared and all the boxes were unloaded, Vaughn looked around him in the empty house and sat down on the carpet to play with Donovan. Lauren went over to the window and peered at the large house next to theirs.  
  
"Is that the house that's been bought?" Vaughn asked, looking over at his wife.  
  
Lauren nodded.  
  
"Isn't it beautiful? It's so grand."  
"It's too big for just the two of us." Vaughn said, already knowing what Lauren was thinking.  
"I know," she said sadly, "it's a six bedroom house, just think of how many kids they have!" Vaughn cleared his throat.  
"You know, Lauren. We could always adopt..."  
"I've thought about that too." She said, turning around to face him, "I don't think we're really ready for a small child though. I mean, you're always in the office..."she held up her hand as he was about to protest, "because I know that your job is really important to you and there have been no gaps in our lives right now, right?"  
"No."  
"So why spoil that? We should enjoy our lives right now, and when it's right, it's right."  
  
Vaughn nodded.  
  
"If that's what you want, it's fine with me."  
"Thank you, Michael. Now, what do you want for dinner?"  
"Tell you what; it's been a while since we've gone out. Why don't I take you out for dinner?"  
"Mmm...That sounds great. Just let me go change."  
"I'll come too."  
  
They walked upstairs together and Lauren started to undress, forgetting that her clothes were still in the boxes. Giggling, she looked around for the box cutter and finding no luck, settled for a lone hair clip in her pocket.  
  
Vaughn had thought ahead and walked in the door, finding his wife digging at the tape with a hair clip with just her underwear on. He grinned and leaned over her, cutting the tape with the box cutter. She looked at him and kissed him hard, pushing him onto the newly set up bed and mattress.  
  
Note from the Author: I'm so sorry that I had to write this part in, but I had to illustrate that Vaughn still does have feelings for his wife. Disgusted at the thought myself, I will NOT go into detail. ::grins::  
  
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	3. Back to work

Chap. 3- Back to Work  
  
The bright sunshine sneaked in through a small opening in the middle of the heavy curtains. Sydney smiled as she turned to it, allowing it to warm her face. She didn't believe in alarm clocks and since she didn't own any roosters to wake her up, she would have to compensate.  
  
She looked to her left, and Scott was sleeping soundly. She quietly got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Sydney brushed her teeth and washed her face, finally pulling her hair into a ponytail. Opening the door to her walk-in-closet, she pulled out some clothes for jogging and headed downstairs for a quick piece of toast and a glass of orange juice for a short fix of energy.  
  
She pulled open the mahogany doors and when she was locking it shut, she noticed that the couple that the realtor had mentioned had moved in. Last night, on the way home she had spotted a park two miles away from her house complete with dog walks, benches, swings, picnic tables, the community pool, tennis courts, and basketball courts.  
  
She calculated that she could get there in an hour at a slow pace, rest and get some water for half an hour, and then at a fast paced run arrive home in a half an hour, right when Scott was about to wake up, take a shower, cook him breakfast, and then head off to her first day of work since arriving in L.A.  
  
When she arrived at the park, she was disappointed not to see any children around, but, then again at five in the morning, she didn't really expect to see any. In fact, the place was empty, except there was a solitary figure sitting at the opposite side of the park. When she got up to get a quick drink of water before heading home, she could see it was a man and even with her training skills, Sydney didn't feel comfortable walking near him and she wasn't feeling especially chatty.  
  
When she arrived home, she took of her shoes in the entryway, and started off for the staircase, but she heard some clatter in the kitchen. On her guard, Sydney walked silently across all surfaces and peered into the kitchen. She let her guard down and sighed with relief. It was only Scott.  
  
"Hey, you."  
"Hey." He answered her, dipping some toast into the batter and dropping it onto the hot skillet. "How was your jog?"  
"Good. Did I wake you up?"  
"No. I decided to make you some French toast."  
"Mm...Thanks." Sydney said taking a bite out of her French toast and nodding her head in appreciation.  
"So, are you excited for your first day?" Scott asked grinning. Sydney laughed,  
"It feels like I'm starting school after a great summer."  
  
He nodded, and continued to make their breakfast. Sydney looked at him and smiled at the thought of his expression when she told him that she worked for the CIA. He, like all other people, was shocked, but recovered quickly and it hasn't yet been a problem in their marriage, even with the frequent trips and missions.  
  
It even became a running joke between them that if he cheated on her while she was away; she could definitely kick his ass. Scott's beeper interrupted her thoughts, and he looked at it, and then at her, something she had so often done to Francie and Will.  
  
"Sorry babe, I gotta run."  
"It's okay. I'm leaving for work after I shower anyways."  
  
Scott looked at her guiltily and then ran upstairs to change, while Sydney packed him some pieces of French toast, grabbed his car keys, beeper, and cell phone, arranging them into a pile. She knew the drill.  
  
He ran downstairs, grabbed the pile, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before rushing out the door to head for the hospital.  
  
After showering, and changing into her work clothes, she got into the new car that Scott had given her for her birthday a couple of months ago. Walking into the agency, she looked around and headed for Kendall's office.  
  
"Sydney." Kendall acknowledged, motioning for her to come in. She sat down in one of the chairs and looked at him expectantly. "Welcome back to California."  
"Thank you." She said stiffly.  
"I want to continue you as a field agent because I know your capabilities and have heard praises about you from Langley, but..." He paused.  
"But..." Sydney prompted.  
"But," He continued, "mostly all of your missions will have Agent Vaughn involved, and he will most likely be the one talking your through your missions. I hope that the..." he wavered, looking for the right word, "tension, of any kind, has been dealt with."  
  
Sydney's face hardened and she knew that he was referring to sexual tension and that he was basing this on the videotape that had...exposed, them as a couple seven years ago.  
  
"Not that it is any of your business, but Agent Vaughn and I have no tension of any kind, I would kindly like to remind you that he and I are both professional people and this will not affect my abilities or judgment in the field. We are both married people, Mr. Kendall; I am hoping you do not suggest that we are unfaithful or anything of that nature." She said tersely.  
  
Kendall cleared his throat and nodded.  
  
"You are dismissed. See your father about your work space and updates." Sydney got up from her chair and walked out of Kendall's office, leaving him sitting behind his desk and rubbing his face. He had forgotten how stubborn and vicious she was with her words.  
  
After seeing her father and receiving updates, she was shown to her desk space by his secretary. It was the same one that she had had. Soon, she was lost in the paperwork that they had given her, not noticing that her father's secretary approaching her. Even in her immersed state, Sydney heard the light footstep and turned around right when the secretary was about to tap her shoulder.  
  
The secretary, taken aback, awkwardly drew back her hand.  
  
"Excuse me, but your presence is requested in the meeting room in five minutes."  
"Thank you." Sydney said, getting up and smoothing down her skirt.  
  
She walked slowly to the meeting room and sat down, waiting for everybody else to file in. Because of the order that everyone had walked in, Vaughn, coincidentally or not, ended up sitting across from her.  
  
She shifted in her seat and Vaughn suddenly noticed where he was sitting, but Kendall had obviously talked to Vaughn too because when he saw him observing the two of them, he suddenly leaned back into his chair and by the look of deep concentration on the screen in front of him, she knew that he was determined not to let the seating arrangements bother him. Sydney crossed her legs and looked around the room, seeing three unfamiliar faces.  
  
Kendall and her father walked into the room and Kendall took his position by the large screen as Jack sat in his usual spot. Their mission was to infiltrate a biogenetics lab in Austria that was hidden beneath a pipe manufacturing company, install a virus into their computers that would wipe out the hard drive and finally, for their most delicate task of all, bring back a baby that was kidnapped from its parents and used for genetic testing.  
  
They explained that this particular baby had the right hair color, eye color, body weight, height, width, heart size, and lung size, everything that the lab needed to successfully complete their research.  
  
"What are they researching?" Sydney asked.  
"We're not sure yet, but we think that they're trying to create a new virus that they would spread if they were attacked," Jack explained, "A new disease for biological warfare."  
"Have they completed the research?" an unfamiliar person to Sydney asked.  
"No." Kendall answered, "We found out about this early through one of our sources and we hope that if we get the child back, there will be no other child with the exact measurements."  
"And the computer virus?" another asked.  
"For precaution," Vaughn answered, "the research itself is so extensive and complicated that if we delete it, there is a large possibility that they won't be able to recreate everything that they've completed."  
"Marshall." Kendall said, signaling him to present.  
"Ok, well...first of all, I would like to welcome Sydney back because well...she's a really good agent, well...I'm not saying you all aren't, it's just that..."  
"Marshall!" Kendall barked.  
  
Marshall was forced to stop, but waved at Sydney who waved back.  
  
"Alright, the virus that you are going to install into their computers is on this floppy disk." Marshall said, holding it up. "You just have to pop it into the A drive, which is the one with the button that pops out, for those that who don't know it, but hey, computers are such a modern convenience these days that who, wouldn't know where the A drive is, right?" He asked, looking around.  
"Continue please," Kendall said dryly.  
"Right. Ok. Oh! By the way, I call this virus Chomper because it basically eats all the information and you can even retrieve the information from Chomper later on, by making him throw up I guess. Well...I don't know if it's a him, I'm just assuming you know. It's really easy, really it is, all you have to do is put the disk into the A drive, and a bar will pop up and you press 'ok.' Once you do that, um, it will start making chomping noises, I did that for a little effect, and I thought it's kind of cool since its name is Chomper and all...."  
"Marshall! Back to the instructions please."  
"Sure sure. So after a while the chomping noises will go away because I found it got annoying after fifty two seconds, but it's a very fast acting bug so after precisely eight seconds after which in total equals a minute, it should be installed and um, I took the liberty to hack into their database and I saw that they're all linked by connection so once you install it into, uh, one computer Chomper will chomp his way through every hard drive in the lab." Marshall said, ending it with a laugh at his own brilliance.  
  
He started to sit back down, but hopped up again.  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot, but, since I know that babies are very fussy since, well...I was once a baby myself. Not that I could remember myself being fussy, since your memory doesn't function until age..."  
"Marshall! Please..."  
"Sorry. But well...I constructed this," Marshall said holding up a pacifier. "I know that everyone is thinking 'That Marshall, it's just a pacifier.' But..." He said pausing for dramatic effect, "I have infused the rubber part of the pacifier that the baby sucks on," he said pointing to it, "with a drug that will knock him...or her...I'm just assuming again, out if he...or she...is being loud which will obviously attract attention. Oh, and it's all baby-safe and everything so I won't, like, say, kill the baby or give it brain damage..."  
"Thank you, Marshall." Kendall said standing up and cutting him off. "Agent Chaplin, Agent Lee, and Agent Jamison."  
  
He said pointing the three new agents out to Sydney, "This is Agent..." Kendall said looking at her, aware that she was married and had changed her name.  
"Voyer." Sydney offered.  
"This is Agent Voyer." Kendall started again. "She is one of our best agents here and at Langley. She started out, as you three have, recruited out of college and she became a double agent for us, and was the backbone to the defeat of SD-6 and gradually the whole Alliance."  
  
The three new agents, nodded, aware of the accomplishments and the work that she had done for the country. "Agent Voyer," Kendall continued, "will complete and lead the team going to Austria. No questions? Good. You leave in three days. Get acquainted. Get packing. Do whatever you have to do. Dismissed."  
  
Papers started to shuffle and were thrown into a folder or briefcase while the agent walked out of the conference room. Vaughn gathered his things quickly and walked to his desk and slumped into his chair.  
  
She was married. 


	4. The Touch

Chap.4- The "Touch"  
  
After the meeting and mounds of paperwork, Sydney was definitely getting ready to go home, drop onto the couch and not move until she had to go to bed. She started gathering up paperwork and was getting ready to go home when she was called into Jack's office.  
  
"Leaving?" Jack asked as Sydney popped her head around the doorframe.  
  
"Yes. Did you need something?"  
"I almost forgot to give this to you." Jack said handing her something small and black. A beeper. Sydney sighed.  
"I wish you had."  
  
Three days later, Sydney, Agent Lee, Agent Chaplin, and Agent Jamison were sitting in the plane on the way to Austria. The three young agents were having a good time getting to know Sydney and by the look on their faces, Sydney could tell that even though they were amateur agents, she could depend on them if she had to. By the time the flight was over, Sydney had gotten to know the three agents and their dispositions well enough to know how they would react on the mission.  
  
Agent Ana Lee was cool-headed and had remained calm in all the situations that were presented to her. Her attitude and nature was so reminiscent and alike to Sydney's that at first, she had wondered if they had met somewhere before. Sydney had to admit that when she first met Ana, she had doubted her capabilities in the field due to her first impression as a flighty, irresponsible person, but when she got to know her more and more, she was impressed by her knowledge and quick thinking.  
  
Agent James Chaplin's personality was different depending on each situation and who was involved. He always surprised her in some way, never caring to show off his knowledge and sometimes didn't participate in their conversations, but chose to sit back and listen. His eyes held tenderness and compassion, but hardened when he was insulted or was frustrated. James had tact, always knowing the right thing to say.  
  
Agent Mark Jamison had an amazing sense of humor, never failing to make her laugh. He was witty and his responses were quick. He was always talking and was always smiling at the center of attention. He had a hard childhood, but conquered that while achieving a laid-back personality  
  
Soon, the plane taxied into its terminal and they headed towards customs with Sydney walking far in front and the rest in the back.  
  
"Is this your first time in Austria, Mrs. Dawson?" The woman asked.  
"Yes." Sydney answered in German.  
"I see that you're here to adopt a child."  
"That is correct."  
"And are these three with you?" The woman asked questioningly at the three agents. Sydney looked at them with a puzzled expression.  
"No."  
"Well...your papers seem to be in order, welcome to Austria."  
"Thank you."  
  
Twenty minutes later, Agents Lee, Chaplin, and Jamison had gotten through customs posing as college friends out for the summer. They hailed separate cabs and arrived at the hotel ten minutes apart. Once they all arrived, Sydney quickly reviewed the mission again and they relaxed, waiting for nightfall.  
  
Three hours later, the sun was setting and they had changed. Walking quickly through alleys and avoiding the main roads, Sydney, Ana, James, and Mark arrived at the manufacturing plant half and hour later. Sydney signaled them all to turn on their comm. links.  
  
"Boy Scout, this is Mountaineer, do you copy?"  
"Roger that, Mountaineer, this is Boy Scout. Are you in?"  
"Yes."  
  
The four of them had jumped the short fence and ran around the main building towards one of the looming silver towers at the end of the plant.  
  
"Enter cautiously, Mountaineer. There are six guards. Four in the lab and two near the entrance. I repeat, enter cautiously."  
"Copy that."  
  
Mark and James headed in first, eliminating two of the six guards while Sydney and Ana walked carefully to the side of the hall, pulling open the air vent and climbing into it.  
  
"Boy Scout, we're heading towards the lab."  
  
Mark and James climbed in after them. All four of them crawled carefully, trying to avoid loud noises or echoing from their voices. Sydney stopped suddenly and turned to look at them, signaling that she was going down. She pulled open the vent and dropped quietly onto the floor. She looked around her, scanning for any signs of the guards or cameras. There were none.  
  
"Boy Scout, I am in the lab. I repeat. I am in the lab."  
"Copy that Mountaineer, watch for cameras."  
"Copy that. I am going radio silent."  
"Roger."  
  
Sydney turned off her comm. link and motioned that it was safe. The three of them dropped onto the linoleum tile and scanned around.  
  
"Footsteps." Ana said, pointing to an open door. She headed towards the door and a loud scream was heard, attracting the rest of the guards. Mark ran towards the circuit box, and could do nothing but stall the cameras for four minutes while Sydney and James made short work of the inexperienced guards.  
  
"Mark. Find a computer, install the bug. James, cover him. Ana, you're with me."  
  
Mark and James left to find a computer while Ana and Sydney split up to find the baby. They turned on their comm. links to each other and a short time later,  
  
"Mountaineer, I found the package. Do you copy?"  
"Copy that, Care bear. I'm heading your way."  
  
Sydney ran back and found Ana trying to make the baby quiet down.  
  
"Give him the pacifier!" Sydney said quickly, digging in her pockets.  
"No, you take him. It doesn't seem ethical. I don't care what Marshall says about not hurting the baby. Sometimes, I just wonder about him."  
  
Ana handed Sydney the baby and he immediately quieted down. He couldn't be more than three months old with blue eyes and blonde tufts of hair.  
  
"He stopped." Sydney said, amazed.  
"Hey, you've got the touch." Ana grinned, "We have to hurry; we don't have a lot of time."  
  
They ran towards the door and Mark and James joined them, running easily in stride.  
  
"Did it work?" Sydney asked, the baby jiggling up and down in her arms.  
"Like a charm." James answered.  
"The chomping noises were really great!" Mark said laughing.  
"Marshall will be pleased." Ana said dryly, hopping the fence with Mark and James after her.  
"Hand me the baby!" James shouted to Sydney.  
"Are you crazy? It's too high!" Ana said to James, staring at him incredulously, "Meet me at the gate! Mark, come with me!"  
  
Mark shrugged and ran after Ana. James sighed and ran after them.  
  
"What am I supposed to do? Rip it open with my bare hands?" Mark asked.  
"No, stupid. Pick the lock. Here's a bobby pin."  
"What?! Ripping it open was a better idea. I haven't picked a lock since I was little."  
"It's like riding a bike, you never forget. Now pick!"  
  
The lights to the tower turned on, and they heard shouts and people running to the gate.  
  
"Hurry!" Ana shouted.  
"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Mark said, furiously working at the lock.  
"Come on, come on." Sydney murmured, looking back from time to time.  
  
Gunshots were heard the baby started to cry, waking up from his nap.  
  
"Shh...Shh...It's ok...." Sydney soothed. But even she couldn't make the baby be quiet. It was the darkest hour of the night, giving them a shield, but the crying of the baby enabled them to pinpoint their position.  
  
"Please, be quiet." Ana begged with pleading eyes, "Shh..."  
  
Sydney fumbled in her pockets, discovering that she didn't have the pacifier.  
  
"Ana, please. Give me the pacifier."  
  
The men were getting closer and one fired a shot, grazing Sydney's hip, making her almost drop the baby. She grimaced in pain and looked at Ana. Giving up, Ana looked in her pockets and looked at Sydney.  
  
"I don't have it..."  
  
Sydney was tempted to throw the baby over to James, when Mark exclaimed,  
  
"Got it!"  
  
He pushed open the gate and Sydney ran past. Ana, James, and Mark ran after her, running all the way back to the hotel.  
  
When they reached the bushes next to the hotel, the three of them stripped off their outer clothing, throwing them into the bushes, and wiped the sheen of sweat off their foreheads. Sydney and Ana fixed their hair as Mark and James sighed. They walked into the lobby cooing at the baby as they asked Sydney questions about the baby and she asked them about college. Once they got into their hotel room, they all fell onto the beds and didn't wake up until the baby's loud screams interrupted their slumber.  
  
Ana tried feeding it, rocking it, giving it to Sydney, but nothing worked. Finally, at three in the morning, she felt around in her bag, extracted the pacifier and stuck it in his mouth. Silence encased the room as they all sighed.  
  
"Screw ethics." Ana said as she collapsed into bed and fell sound asleep.  
  
One week later, the four agents and the baby whom they had dubbed Sam, arrived back in L.A. "Sam's" parents were there waiting for him and the doctors checked him over and when they were certain that they hadn't done any research on him yet, he was allowed to go home.  
  
Sydney ignored the piles of work on her desk and Kendall's request to see her. She grabbed her bag and winced as it hit against her hip. It had almost healed, but still hurt whenever anything touched it.  
  
"Syd? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Vaughn asked, seeing her wince.  
"I'm fine." Sydney said, pushing him away.  
"Where are you going?"  
"Home."  
  
She walked out quickly and even when the bag hit against her hip, she didn't notice because the pain in her heart overrode her physical hurt.  
  
"Sydney? Is that you?" Scott asked, walking out of the house and into the garage.  
"Yes, it's me." She looked worn out and tiredly climbed out of her car. Scott took her bag and she followed him into the house. She walked unsteadily from her tiredness and her hip banged against the doorframe.  
  
"Oh....sh....!" Sydney cried, holding her hip. Scott dropped her bag and ran to her.  
"What's wrong with your hip? Are you hurt?"  
  
Sydney bit her lip and nodded. She showed Scott her wound and he looked up at her with flashing eyes,  
  
"Did you get shot?"  
"It's only a graze, don't worry about it." Sydney said, trying to comfort him.  
"Tell me you saw a doctor." Sydney looked at him. "Sydney!" Scott cried and looked at her imploringly, "This could get infected! You have to take care of yourself. Come on, we're going to the hospital." He said, tugging at her hand.  
"Scott! You're just being silly. I'll just go upstairs and put a band aid on it. It's not that bad, really." Sydney assured him. He sighed and looked at her carefully.  
"Well...you look like you need a break. Maybe we should go socialize like normal people."  
"With who?" Sydney asked him. Scott thought.  
"Our new neighbors! We could invite them over for a party or something."  
  
Sydney nodded and smiled.  
  
"That's a great idea. I'll go over there right now."  
  
Scott nodded and rubbed his hands together, smiling gleefully like a little boy.  
"What are you so happy about?" Sydney asked.  
"I get to use my new grill!" He answered joyfully.  
"Men..." Sydney sighed and walked out the door.  
  
Yay! Chapter 4! How was it? My muse left me for a short while, plus I was depressed that school is starting....TOMORROW! Yes yes! I know!  
  
Well...the exciting part is about to happen! Are you excited? I'm excited! It's going to take me a bit longer to get up because well...school...duh...and tennis....and the worst part, oh no, here it comes, homework! ::shriek::  
  
ANYWAYS, I promise that I will do my best to get it up quickly.  
  
Please review, it gives me so much happiness to open my Inbox and find reviews. And please please, criticism is welcome! I don't want you to have to sit through a lame chapter! If you think it needs a bit of fixin' or you think it's the stupidest thing you've ever read, tell me!  
  
Oh yes, as an afterthought....I tried to do the spacing thing...and I hope that's what you meant because I got confused and...Well...I get confused a lot.  
  
Oh! And another afterthought...how was the Marshall scene in the last chapter. I think that no one can write Marshall's part well....except for Marshall, of course....duh. 


	5. The Invite

Chap. 5- The Invite  
  
Sydney walked the length of her driveway and stepped onto the sidewalk and then onto the steps of her neighbor's yard. Nervously, she reached out and rang the doorbell.  
  
"Coming!" A woman's voice yelled from inside the house. Sydney waited as the woman peered through the peephole and then opened the door. "Can I help you?" she asked.  
"Hi, I'm sorry to intrude. I hope you're not very busy." Sydney apologized.  
"No, no."  
"I'm Sydney," Sydney said, extending her hand, "your neighbor."  
"Oh, hi! It's so nice to finally meet you, Sydney. I'm Lauren." She said, grasping Sydney's extended hand and shaking it. "Would you like to come in?"  
"Sure." Sydney said, stepping into the doorway.  
  
She followed Lauren through the hallway and into the kitchen.  
  
"Would you like something to drink?" Lauren asked.  
"Water's fine." Sydney answered.  
  
Lauren took out a clean glass from the cupboard and headed to the water cooler.  
  
"I'm so sorry." Lauren apologized when she walked back towards Sydney and handed her a glass of water while gathering up some sweaters and clothes that were piled on the chair. "We just moved in a while ago and I just can't seem to find the time to clean up."  
  
Sydney nodded her head in agreement while she watched Lauren pick up each piece of clothing and folding them up neatly.  
  
"Are you into sports?" Sydney asked, nodding her head towards what she was holding. Lauren looked down at what she was holding and flipped it around, a King's jersey. Sydney's heart fluttered.  
"Oh, no...This is my husband's."  
"Is he a big hockey fan?"  
"I think fanatic is the word, "Lauren said laughing, "but how hard I try, I can never get into it. It's so violent."  
  
Silence hung around the room for a second or two.  
  
"So what does your husband do?" Sydney asked politely.  
"He works for the government." Lauren said and Sydney could see that she didn't wish to delve further into his career. "What about you and your husband?"  
"Oh...well...I work at a bank," Sydney said, unaware that she was using her old excuse, "and my husband is a doctor at the university hospital."  
"Well, you have a very beautiful home," Lauren remarked.  
"Thank you," Sydney replied. She looked at her watch, "I really should be getting home to start dinner, but I almost forgot to ask you if you had any plans, say...Wednesday night at 5? My husband, Scott, and I were having a barbecue and we were wondering if you would like to join us."  
  
"That sounds great, but I think that my husband's friend and his family are coming over to watch the King's game."  
"Well...I, myself am a pretty big King's fan and I'll be watching the game anyways, so if your husband and his friend are comfortable with the idea, they're welcome to watch it at our house."  
  
Lauren bit her lip in thought.  
  
"I'll have to run it by my husband, but I'm sure he'll be okay with it. Can I just get your number and I'll call you as soon as he gets home?"  
"Of course," Sydney said, jotting down her number on a scrap of paper and handing it to Lauren although she thought it was odd to use the phone when they lived only a few paces away. "Anyways, I better go now. Scott is probably wondering why I'm taking so long."  
  
Lauren walked with Sydney to the front door.  
  
"It was so nice meeting you, Sydney. I hope that we'll see each other on Wednesday."  
"It was nice meeting you too." Sydney smiled at Lauren warmly as she turned and walked back into her house.  
  
Just as Sydney's door closed shut, Vaughn's car pulled into the garage. Lauren ran to greet him.  
  
"Hi honey, how was your day?"  
"Tiring..." Vaughn remarked, running his hand through his hair while thinking of how Sydney had pushed him away. In Austria, her tone on the comm. link was professional and didn't hold any of the humor or spark that it used to. He looked at his wife with her clear, light blue eyes and wavy blond hair. She seemed unusually perky today. "How was yours?" Vaughn asked.  
"Oh, I did all the usual things, but today, our neighbor, you know the one in the big house next to ours came over and invited us over for a barbecue on Wednesday."  
"That's great." Vaughn said. Then he remembered that Eric, Lisa, and Jake were all coming over to watch the King's game. "Lauren..." he started. He hated to disappoint her, but this would be a legendary and once-in-a- lifetime game.  
  
Lauren held up her hand to stop him.  
  
"I know what you're thinking. But, I already told her that and she said that Eric and his family could come to the barbecue too and you could all watch the game together since she's a fan too."  
"I don't know if Weiss would like that." Vaughn said, although he knew that Weiss wouldn't mind where he was as long as there was a TV in front of him, a beer in his hand, and he was sitting in a comfortable couch watching hockey.  
"They have a big screen TV..."Lauren started.  
"There's nothing wrong with our TV..." he said trailing off and looked at his small television screen that Lauren had insisted that they keep and spend the money on something more important.  
"Michael..." Lauren sighed.  
  
He looked at her face and sighed with her. She didn't have anyone to talk to now that they had moved out of the apartment complex and he could tell that she was lonely and needed a friend.  
  
"Okay, we'll go to the barbecue." He said suddenly. Lauren looked at him and brightened.  
"I knew that you'd say yes! We're going to have such a good time..." Lauren said chatting happily to him and she walked off to heat up his dinner. He could hear her call the neighbors while she was busy in the kitchen, which he thought was absurd since they lived so close by.  
  
Wednesday afternoon, Vaughn promised Lauren that he would come home early so he wouldn't be late or forget about the barbecue. Sydney hadn't come into the office today, calling in sick. At a stop light, he rested his head against the steering wheel. Lately, she was always in his mind. Everywhere he went, everything he did, she seemed to be there...haunting him in her happiness.  
  
A car behind him honked. He looked up quickly at the green light and began moving again. He arrived home ten minutes later. Stepping lightly into the kitchen, he watched Lauren move around the kitchen, chopping up vegetables for salad and dropping cobs of corn into a pot of boiling water. He cleared her throat and she whirled around.  
  
"Michael! I didn't hear you come in, I'm just getting some food ready."  
  
Vaughn nodded and he looked at the kitchen table where a simple, medium sized gift bag stood.  
  
"What is that?" He asked.  
"What?" Lauren asked, and looked toward where he was pointing, "Oh, that. Well, our neighbor came by earlier today to drop that off as a housewarming gift. Isn't that sweet?"  
"That's very nice of them." Vaughn agreed.  
"Oh! Look what I got for them!" Lauren said excitedly, running towards the living room where she had put the gift. She brought it back to him, a gift bag with an array of curled ribbon and tissue paper.  
"What is it?" He asked.  
"It's a fountain! The salesperson said that it's very feng shui." Lauren giggled.  
"Oh..." Vaughn started to say, but Lauren rushed off to turn off the pot before it overflowed.  
"Anyways," Lauren said, coming back to meet him by the table, "you should get ready. We're going to leave in about ten minutes. Just let me get everything into bowls. Did you tell Eric?"  
"No..."  
"Well, call him now!" Lauren said shooing him towards the bedroom.  
"I don't think that he'll be very comfortable about going over someone else's house..." he said, trying one last time to get out of the barbecue.  
  
Lauren didn't hear him and began pulling out plates from the cupboard. Vaughn changed quickly and picked up the phone, dialing Weiss' number.  
  
"Hello?"  
"Lisa! It's Michael."  
"Hold on." Lisa said, automatically handing Weiss the phone.  
"Hey, Mike. We still on for today?"  
"Yea, but Lauren is making me go to a barbecue at our neighbor's so we're going to watch it there."  
"Ok. I don't care. Why are you telling me?"  
  
Hey! It's chapter 5! So what did you think? Seriously, I've only been to school for three days and it feels like forever! So much homework!  
  
But ANYWAYS, maybe being back to school is a good thing for readers because it's given me SUCH a brain surge and an urge to write!  
  
I have some great ideas and I can't wait to follow through with them.  
  
So keep reading, I promise, you won't be disappointed!  
  
lol, sounds like a commercial. 


	6. Meeting You Again

Chap.6- Meeting You Again  
  
"What are we looking for again?" Scott asked, as he pushed the shopping car alongside his wife.  
"We need some nectarines, plums, peaches, and raspberries." Sydney said, directing him near the produce section. "I think we're out of sugar, too." She added.  
  
Scott had taken the day off and had insisted that Sydney call in sick too. They had spent most of their morning lying lazily in bed, until Sydney insisted that they had to go grocery shopping.  
  
After paying for their items, they stopped into a local coffee shop for two lattes and some scones. The two of them hung around the center, window shopping and occasionally stopping in. When they arrived at a candle shop, Scott had suggested that they buy a housewarming gift for Lauren and her husband.  
  
"You're so sweet." Sydney said, hitting him playfully.  
"I know." Scott said grinning, his eyes twinkling.  
  
Soon, they had wasted away the afternoon and an hour before everyone was due to come, Sydney began to set the outdoor patio table, she turned on the heater for the pool and spa, put out some tennis rackets and balls on the court, and began making the kabobs.  
  
Scott had marinated the steaks and chicken fillets a day ago and had bought some ribs from the butcher shop. Earlier today, he had put the ribs in to slow cook on the grill and they were nearly done. He slathered some sauce on the ribs, turned them and then set to put Sydney's kabobs and the marinated meat on.  
  
As Sydney was putting the drinks into a cooler filled with ice, the doorbell rang. She looked at Scott whose hands were dripping with meat juices.  
  
"Why don't you go get it?" She joked, laughing.  
"Alright, I will!" Scott said, walking towards the patio door and almost grabbing the shiny golden handle.  
"No! Scott Voyer, don't you dare." Sydney said threateningly. He grinned.  
  
She turned away from him again as the doorbell rang again. She ran through the length of the house and towards the door, peeking through the side windows. It was Will and his fiancée Katie.  
  
"Hey! I'm so glad you came!" She said, hugging Katie and giving Will a kiss on the cheek. "Come in!"  
"Wow, this house is amazing!" Will exclaimed looking around him. Katie nodded in agreement.  
"Thanks. Scott's out back...at the grill." Sydney said.  
"Ooo...grill..." Will exclaimed, walking quickly towards the door leading outside.  
  
Katie laughed and shook her head. She had long, pretty light blond hair, blue eyes, and perfect teeth. She came from a wealthy family who owned a plantation in Georgia, where she had grown up. Will had met her at a journalism convention and they had gotten engaged five months later.  
  
A few moments after Katie and Sydney had stepped outside and starting arranging the flowers and plates of food on a long buffet table that Scott had set up, the door bell rang again. Sydney excused herself from Katie, who then took up Will's challenge on a game of tennis.  
  
"Hi!" Sydney exclaimed, opening the door to Ana, Mark, and James. "Did you find it alright?"  
"The directions were great, it's just that James had to go and take his own way and then we got lost." Ana said, glaring at James who just smiled back at her.  
"Come on you guys, stop flirting." Mark joked. Sydney laughed and invited them in.  
"Everyone's in the back near the grill."  
"Oo...grill..." Mark and James said, walking towards the back.  
"Men..." Ana sighed, laughing along with Sydney.  
  
Sydney watched Ana talk to Katie and momentarily glance at James who was swimming in the pool. It was the way that she looked at him and the way that he looked at her. There was no doubt that something was happening between them and that it was mutual. Before Sydney could act on her suspicions, the doorbell rang again. She walked quickly, expecting Lauren and her husband, but it was her dad with four other senior officers who also happened to be his golfing buddies.  
  
"Hey dad, how are you?" Sydney asked.  
"Good. I believe that you know my colleagues, Mr. Simms, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Chen, and Mr. Lewis. This is my daughter, Sydney."  
  
She politely acknowledged them.  
  
"Your...work...at the office is very well known to us, very good work, Mrs. Voyer. Excellent," Mr. Chen said warmly. The other three men nodded in agreement.  
"Mmhmm...Especially that last assignment. Brilliant."  
"Really...you're too kind. Thank you."  
  
Jack smiled proudly.  
  
"Is that Miss Lee, I see from here?" Mr. Chen asked looking across the vast expanse of the house and seeing Ana playing tennis.  
"Why...yes it is." Sydney said, taken aback and surprised at this man's amazing eyesight.  
"Well...I better go catch her. I think she's avoiding me. We never got to finish our debate about the Chinese government..." Mr. Chen said, walking swiftly towards the court.  
  
The other three men, followed behind, entranced by the smells coming from the grill. Jack's stomach growled hungrily. He laughed.  
  
"Shall we?"  
"Yes." Sydney said, leading him toward the back where everyone was gathered.  
  
Everyone turned when they heard the door open and when Jack stepped outside, everyone froze.  
  
"Sir..." Mark started.  
  
Jack waved him off and he and Sydney continued chatting animatedly. Jack then went over to his son-in-law and after embracing him, they started talking about golf, something that didn't interest Sydney in the least. But when Agents Simms, Chen, Lewis, and Matthews heard them talking, they abandoned their present conversations to join them at the grill, much to Ana's relief.  
  
Ana had refused to change into her bathing suit because she didn't want "you perverts" as she referred to Mark and James to stare at her. James had insisted that he wouldn't while Mark had said he'd make no promises. Mark had climbed out of the pool to use the restroom/changing room installed near the pool while James kept trying to get Ana to come in while she just stood by the side of the pool and shook her head.  
  
Sydney turned to look at the three of them and saw Mark sneaking up behind Ana. She wanted to yell a warning, but decided against it. The next thing she knew, Mark had lifted Ana up in the air and had thrown her into the pool with James.  
  
Everyone laughed while Ana screamed but then started laughing, splashing James and eventually, getting Mark back by pulling out his legs from under him and sitting on his shoulders to keep him down. Mark easily resurfaced with Ana still sitting on his shoulders.  
  
As Sydney was about to sit down to a conversation with Katie when the doorbell rang again, she was about to excuse herself when she saw Scott head towards the door. She heard Lauren's voice and then a voice that sounded all too familiar.  
  
"Excuse me." She said, as she bolted up and headed towards the front door. Scott and Lauren walked past her towards the grill and she walked even faster. And sure enough, it was who she thought it was. "Eric!"  
  
"Sydney?!" Eric exclaimed. "You....live...here."  
"Yes."  
"This is your barbecue..."  
"Yes...?" Sydney prompted. Then a thought came to her head, "We're neighbors!"  
"Oh...this is bad..."Eric murmured quietly.  
"What?"  
"Huh?"  
"Never mind," Sydney sighed.  
  
She heard a car door slam and then she tried looking past Eric's shoulder.  
  
"Did you bring a friend?"  
"Well..."  
  
Sydney saw a familiar figure that she recognized to be the man in the park and she had seen him every morning at the same time, although both of them had kept their distance. He was holding the sweetest looking little boy and walking next to a beautiful woman, laughing and smiling at the baby as he talked.  
  
As he walked closer she began to see the familiar legs, the chest, the arms, the hair, the face, the lips, the nose, and most of all...the eyes. She was so shocked that she couldn't move, wishing that she had Mr. Chen's eyesight so she could have left earlier. But now it was too late. This meeting was inevitable.  
  
"Sydney?!" Vaughn exclaimed, almost dropping the baby in surprise.  
  
"Vaughn..." Sydney choked as tears sprang to her eyes and she ran upstairs. 


	7. Explanations

Chap.7- Explanations  
  
"Sydney, wait!" Vaughn yelled at her retreating figure. She didn't stop or turn around, but kept going. He looked down at Jake and then at Lisa and realized what had gone through Sydney's mind.  
"Dada!" Jake exclaimed, suddenly setting eyes on Eric. He waved his arms around, waiting to be transferred to his dad.  
"Yes, my little man, unless there's something that your mother isn't telling me..."  
  
Lisa glared at her husband for cracking jokes when his best friend was struggling with his emotions. Eric looked at her face and his smile disappeared.  
  
"Why don't you go after her?" He suggested.  
  
Vaughn looked over at Eric and started up the stairs when Scott walked into the room.  
  
"The party's out back. Where's Sydney?"  
"Um...upstairs..." Vaughn told him.  
"Is she okay?"  
"No...She seemed upset."  
"I better go see what's wrong. Did you need something upstairs?" Scott asked, seeing that Vaughn was halfway up.  
"Yea..." Vaughn trailed off, thinking furiously, "can I use your bathroom?"  
"Sure." Scott answered. "Since you're almost up there, just keep going, turn right. It's the fourth door on your left."  
"Thanks." Vaughn said, heading upstairs while Scott passed him, turning left.  
  
Eric, Lisa, and Jake had left to go to the party and he slowly trudged upstairs. If only Jake hadn't insisted that his godfather carry him, if only he had told Weiss to meet him at the party, if only Lauren hadn't insisted on buying that house, if only....if only he had waited for Sydney.  
  
Vaughn finally reached the top of the stairs and turned right, counted four doors to his left, turned on the light, waited five seconds, flushed the toilet, ran the water, and left the room. He was about to go back downstairs and join everyone else at the party when he heard Sydney and Scott in their bedroom.  
  
Quietly, slowly, stealthily, he continued walking down the hall, ignoring the stairs and kept walking. Pressing his ear against the door, he could hear Sydney crying and Scott trying to console her. Vaughn experienced an extreme feeling of guilt for causing her so much pain.  
  
"Sydney, tell me what's the matter," Scott tried. She didn't answer him. "It's the mood swings, isn't it?"  
"Yea..." Sydney began hesitantly, "it's the mood swings."  
"The first couple of months are the hardest, and then it gets better. Just imagine how beautiful our baby will be."  
  
Vaughn's heart sank, and he could just see Sydney start to smile.  
  
"Now, let's go downstairs and have a good time, okay?" Scott continued.  
"Okay..."  
  
Vaughn heard the bed rustle as they got up and he quickly turned to leave.  
  
"You always make me feel better. I love you, Scott."  
"I love you too."  
  
When Sydney and Scott arrived back downstairs, Vaughn was already in a deep debate with Agent Lewis about the new training techniques and the competencies of the new agents compared to the old agents. Although his mind wasn't completely on the subject, he argued his points excellently and earned Agent Lewis' approval which meant a big promotion in the near future.  
  
Ana was completely soaked and was forced to change into her bathing suit for the rest of the night. She was still mad at Mark and kept trying to get him back. James, watched uncomfortably as Mark chased Ana around the yard. Finally, he couldn't watch them any more and disappeared into the house.  
  
Sydney looked at Ana pointedly and she sighed, running into the house after him.  
  
By the time, Eric, who had taken over the grill when Scott left, took the last piece of steak off the grill; everyone grabbed their plates and sat down to eat. Loud conversations arose and soon everyone had abandoned their food to argue their point.  
  
Eventually, everyone had finished their food and they all settled back into their chairs in silence.  
  
"Excellent food, Scott, my compliments," Jack said, raising his wine glass in a toast.  
"Here here!" Everyone said, following suit.  
  
Scott bowed.  
  
"Hey..." Katie started, "where's Ana and James?"  
  
Everyone looked around and saw the two empty chairs.  
  
"Oh, man!" Mark and Eric remarked at the same time. They looked at each other and grinned.  
"Oh dear, there's two of them!" Lisa exclaimed. Jake gurgled happily as Vaughn tickled him under his chin.  
  
Sydney watched as Vaughn talked and played with Jake. He was so natural and loving that her stomach flipped.  
  
"Excuse me," Sydney said, clapping her hand to her mouth and rushing to the bathroom.  
  
When she came back, everyone was still talking about Ana and James' disappearance. Sydney had checked in all the rooms of the house, not finding them anywhere.  
  
"She must have forgotten you where here, Greg." Jack said, laughingly to Mr. Chen who had a disapproving look on his face.  
"Are you related?" Sydney asked inquiringly.  
"Yes. Ana is my niece. My wife and I took her in after her parents were killed by the communists on a mission. Her mother, my sister, and I were very close."  
  
Everyone nodded sympathetically and Sydney looked at her watch.  
  
"Oh! Look at the time! It's time for the game!"  
  
Lauren and Scott hung back as everybody else rushed into the living room to watch the game on the big screen. Scott began to clean the grill and in mid- scrub, he suddenly noticed that someone was staring at him.  
  
He looked at her expectantly.  
  
"So why aren't you in there with them?" Lauren asked him.  
"I'm not a big hockey fan." He answered nonchalantly and began stacking up the plates.  
"I'm not either." Lauren said, helping him clean up.  
  
The two of them could hear screams and shouts coming from the living room. Scott smiled when he heard Sydney cheering. He looked over to Lauren who was observing Vaughn. Scott could tell that she was in love but not content. Deciding not to say anything else, they worked in silence until the game was over and everybody else came out to join them.  
  
While everyone else was chatting happily and excitedly about the amazing game they had just witnessed, Sydney and Vaughn stood uncomfortably. The awkwardness between them was unbearable and they had tried to avoid each other the whole night. Whenever Sydney looked at him, all she could think about was how innocent and adorable his little boy was.  
  
Next door, Donovan could hear his master's voice and started to bark suddenly, waking Jake up from his peaceful sleep. Bawling and pushing his mother away, he reached out, screaming for his father.  
  
"You better go to your son." Sydney suggested when Vaughn didn't move and she walked off toward the direction of the garden.  
  
A look of confusion crossed Vaughn's face, but then he suddenly remembered how Sydney had mistaken Jake as his son. He walked swiftly after her and could see her, sitting on a bench under the beautiful new cherry blossoms.  
  
"Syd..." Vaughn started.  
"Vaughn...you don't have to explain anything. You're married, you have a child."  
"Jake isn't my kid." He said hurriedly, as she started to get up. Sydney looked at him, and then sat back down. "I'm godfather."  
"So...who's?"  
"Eric and Lisa's."  
"What!" Sydney asked in disbelief. "Eric has a kid?"  
"I know." Vaughn said, agreeing. His heart ached and he realized how much he missed talking to Sydney. Eric, had left the CIA when Jake was born, continuing his career in law. He had only started for a week at his uncle's firm before he was recruited to the CIA. Now, his uncle had retired and left Eric his successful firm.  
"Wait...so, Lisa isn't your wife?"  
"No." Vaughn answered.  
"She must think I'm awful..."Sydney thought, covering her mouth with her hand in shock. She had to admit that she had been especially cold toward Lisa and that she had been jealous.  
"No, she won't." Vaughn said, assuring her. "She told me that you're a great person, but it seems that you have something on your mind." He tried, hinting.  
  
She didn't respond to his hint, but continued clarifying the whole situation.  
  
"I thought you were married."  
"I am."  
"But...Lisa's not your wife..." Sydney suddenly gasped and stared wide-eyed at Vaughn. "You're married to LAUREN!"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Hey, neighbor." He said, laughing weakly.  
  
Sydney closed her eyes and looked at her beautiful home.  
  
"Well...you're going to have to be the one that moves." She told him.  
"What?" He exclaimed. "No one's moving, Sydney. You know that neither of us can afford to move now.  
"I guess I can always find another house..." Sydney said, sighing, not hearing anything he had just said.  
  
Vaughn looked at her intently.  
  
"Why do you want to get away from me?"  
"WHY? Vaughn...don't make me tell you." Sydney said quietly.  
"No, Syd. Tell me. Tell me why."  
  
Tears started to well up in both of their eyes.  
  
"Fine, Vaughn. I'll tell you. I'm finally over you. I have a great husband...I...I'm about to have a baby..." Sydney started, seeing the hurt in his eyes. "My life is almost complete. I'm happy. Don't you want that for me?"  
"Syd, you know that I do."  
"Then why do you keep hurting me?"  
"You know I wouldn't hurt you. You're everywhere I go! In everything I do! At work, at home!"  
"Would it have been better for you if I had died?" she whispered fiercely.  
"Syd..." he begged.  
  
He could see her mind whirling as she looked at him and a single tear slid down from his eyes and down his cheek.  
  
"I would've waited for you Vaughn. I wouldn't have cared how long it took or if everyone else thought that you were dead. I had fought too hard to be with you. I would have waited forever." 


	8. One Thing At A Time

Chap.8  
  
Her words stung him but he knew that it was true. She would have waited for him. She wouldn't have given in. She would have done everything that he didn't.  
  
"Syd...I..."  
"I should get back to the party." She said, cutting him off and turning around, nearly running into Lauren.  
"Michael! I was looking everywhere for you!" Lauren exclaimed. She looked at Vaughn and then at Sydney. "Am I interrupting?"  
"No! No!" Sydney said, assuring her. "We're just talking about..."  
"What happened at the office last week," Vaughn added in.  
  
A look of confusion crossed Lauren's face.  
  
"But I thought you worked at a bank..." Lauren asked, frowning. "And Michael works for the government....how could you work together?"  
"Our bank handles their transactions; so technically, I guess we do work together..." Sydney said, letting out a small laugh although she really didn't know where the CIA handled their transactions or if they even had transactions at all...  
"I see." Lauren said, looking at Michael for confirmation. He nodded. "Alright, well...we better get going. We have to feed the dog and everything...but we had a lovely time. Thank you, again, for inviting us."  
"Likewise, it was wonderful meeting you. I'm so glad you had a good time."  
"Well...we should get together sometime." Lauren suggested. She took Vaughn's hand and started to lead him out of the garden and towards the backyard.  
"Of course," Sydney said nodding. Then, her mind whirled back to what Lauren had said previously. "The dog?"  
"Huh? Oh," Lauren said, suddenly remembering what Sydney was referring to. "Yes, we have a dog."  
"I love dogs!" Sydney remarked.  
  
Michael looked at her, but didn't say anything. His wife didn't know about his and Sydney's past. As far as she was concerned, he had never had any girlfriends before her.  
  
"Oh? Would you like to see him?" Lauren asked, picking up on her hint.  
"You wouldn't mind?"  
"Of course not."  
  
The three of them reached the empty backyard and they discovered that Scott was waving good-bye to James and Ana who had finally come back from their walk. His back was turned toward her and she walked softly toward him. He whirled around instinctively and when he saw that it was Sydney, he relaxed.  
  
"Hey, where have you been?"  
"In the garden...thinking..." Sydney said, answering him. "I'm going to walk our neighbors home. I'll be back really soon, okay?"  
"Okay...but I want you to call me as soon as you get there." Scott mocked in a stern fatherly tone.  
  
As soon as Vaughn unlocked the front door, Donovan came running on his short legs. He jumped up to catch Vaughn's attention and then immediately headed for his feeding bowl. They all followed him into the kitchen and while Vaughn and Sydney followed Donovan to his bowl, Lauren went to the stove to make tea.  
  
"Can I?" Sydney asked, motioning to the yellow bag of dog food that Donovan was hungrily eyeing.  
"Um..." Lauren started to say, knowing that Donovan didn't like anybody but Michael feeding him. But, she decided to leave it at that, and went back towards the stove to watch the water boil.  
"Sure..." Vaughn said hesitantly.  
  
But Donovan and Sydney had met briefly before in the park when she went on her runs every morning and she had become attached to his friendly sniffing and yaps.  
  
Sydney took the bag of food and poured it into Donovan's bowl. He sniffed at it, curiously, and then started to eat. She sat down next to him and he looked up. Sydney took his head in both of her hands and kissed the top of his head. Donovan licked her face reassuringly and then presumed eating.  
  
Sydney got up and looked at her watch.  
  
"Well...I better get home. I have to go into the office early tomorrow."  
"Good night." Lauren said, walking her to the front door with Vaughn trailing behind.  
"Good night, Lauren." Sydney said opening the door. She looked past Lauren's shoulder. "Good night...Michael."  
"Would you like me walk you home?" Vaughn asked, looking at the pitch black sky.  
  
Sydney looked at him curiously, and then smiled.  
  
"No...I think I'll be okay." She said, laughing.  
  
He understood her joke and laughed along with her. Lauren, caught in a moment of awkwardness and not understanding the joke, retreated to the bedroom. Vaughn walked forward and held the door for her.  
  
"I do want you to be happy, Syd." He whispered.  
"I know, Vaughn."  
  
He watched as she skipped down the stone steps and crossed the lawn to reach her own house, disappearing into the front door. He thought, sadly, of how successful Sydney was with her own marriage while his was disintegrating before his own eyes. There was nothing he could do, nothing he could say. He and Lauren loved each other, but like Scott, he could tell that Lauren wasn't satisfied.  
  
Sighing, he closed and locked the door, heading in the direction of the bedroom. At least he and Sydney were okay now...  
  
'One thing at a time, Vaughn,' he said, thinking to himself, 'one thing at a time.'  
  
Sydney yawned loudly and stretched in her seat. She shuffled her papers around but then slumped back into her chair, closing her eyes as she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. It quickly subsided and she was grateful. Sydney didn't want to take maternity leave until it was absolutely necessary, knowing that Kendall needed as many field agents as he could get. The new recruits were still undergoing training and they would be too inexperienced for the upcoming mission.  
  
Her beeper started to vibrate and she looked at the small screen. It was a notice of the meeting in the conference room that would take place in five minutes. Sighing, she got up and started for the long walk to the conference room. Nodding to the people that she passed by, she noticed that Vaughn was gathering up his things and heading for the conference room too.  
  
She thought about stopping to wait for him, but decided against it. Even though the "tension" between them was settled at the barbecue on Wednesday, Sydney still thought that it was best to act as they had when she first transferred back to the CIA. She suspected that everyone else still thought that there was something between them, regardless of the fact that they were both married.  
  
She shook her head. No matter where you work, there will always be office gossip.  
  
Three minutes later, Sydney walked into the conference room and sat down in her usual seat. The seats were almost filled, and everyone was waiting for Kendall and Jack's arrival. As soon as Jack set foot into the room, the buzz subsided and the room held an eerie, silent atmosphere.  
  
Immediately following Jack was Kendall. As he opened his mouth to speak, he was interrupted by the hurried patter of Marshall's footsteps, along with papers hanging dangerously out of the folder in which they had been hurriedly stuffed into. Marshall lowered himself into his seat and looked at Kendall expectantly with his hands folded and his eyes at full attention.  
  
"Quite a workout you've had there," Kendall remarked dryly, commenting on Marshall's face that had a small sheen of sweat on it.  
  
Marshall extracted a handkerchief from his pocket and patted his face dry.  
  
"I don't like sweating..." Marshall explained, "you're actually urinating out of your face since sweat is composed of urea, salt, and water except that when you urinate...um...in the bathroom, it...um, is more concentrated...giving it the yellow colorization..."  
"Thank you, Marshall." Jack firmly intercepted.  
  
Vaughn cleared his throat uncomfortably and shifted in his seat. He looked across the table at Sydney, who was watching the whirling logo intently and then lifted her head listen to Kendall start the debriefing.  
  
"A few local contacts in France, have informed us of this man," he said as a large picture of a young, handsome man flashed onto the large screen behind him. "Jacques Jacobins-Robespierre. Apparently, he has been seen associating with an unidentified man, who knows the location of a nuclear warhead and in three weeks, he will start to ready 3.5 billion dollars as payment."  
"What will he do with a nuclear warhead?"  
"Research, threat, bribery..." Jack answered, trailing off, indicating the numerous things that could be done.  
"Where is the warhead located?" Sydney asked, looking up from the picture on her screen.  
"We're not certain, but we suspect...that it's located somewhere in Bosnia-Herzegovina."  
"Which leads me to your mission," Kendall said, the picture behind him changing into that of an old, elegant castle in France. "Agent Voyer and Agent Chaplin are posing as siblings, who have recently come into a family fortune and have risen in Russian society. You have been invited to Jacques Jacobins-Robespierre's masquerade party through a Countess Turovstyn whom you two are extremely close to. Agent Lee and Agent Jamison will be stationed two blocks away and will be on the other end of the comm. link."  
  
The picture behind Kendall changed again, this time to a middle-aged man.  
  
"This man will also be attending the party. He is the only person in possession of the location of the nuclear warheads and we have been told that it is tattooed somewhere on his body, in a code that only three people know of."  
"What are we going to do with the code if we can't break it?" Ana asked.  
  
Kendall looked at her, irritated and continued.  
  
"You are to bring the code back with you, and destroy the tattoo. Marshall..." Kendall said, indicating to Marshall.  
"Oh, ok. Um, thank you. These," Marshall said, extracting a series of small needles out of his bag, "all contain a chemical that I have synthetically produced in the lab. They, um, mutate the melanin in the area of the skin in which you inject forever, so even if um, Monsieur here," Marshall laughed, "decides to get an operation; his skin will always produce the mutated melanin which is the same color as his tattoo. Um, you only need about one milligram of um, this chemical for every five inches of his um, skin. If you over do it, you will probably give him malignant melanoma, or skin cancer, which isn't good...at all...but I even added a ruler on the side of the needle for your convenience..."  
  
Marshall trailed off and sat back down.  
  
"Thank you, Marshall. Ana, you will be administering the chemical. I hope you haven't forgotten too much from medical school...Mark, you will be the only one observing the security cameras when Ana leaves."  
  
Mark knew what he meant and he nodded as Jack took over the debriefing.  
  
"After you bring back the code, the four of you," Jack said, looking at Sydney, James, Ana, and Mark, "will set off for Venezuela four weeks later. Only two of the three people that know the code are living today. The man you see on the screen is one and the other is the one that you will become acquainted with. She now goes by the name of Mariana Veltri."  
  
The picture behind Jack changed to become that of a pretty and surprisingly young woman that looked as if she was younger than Ana.  
  
"When she was a child, her family sold her to the third and deceased code-breaker as a servant in exchange for money. When she was clearing his study one day, she came upon the code and the process of how to break it, and instantly memorized it without knowing. The third code-breaker, who had come to love her as his daughter, discovered this and sent her to live in hiding, in fear that the other man would find out and kill her."  
"Why can't we just get the code from France and fly immediately to Venezuela?" Mark asked.  
"It's too suspicious, Agent Jamison." Kendall answered. "When Robespierre discovers that he has been compromised he is bound to trace you to Venezuela and not only be in possession of the warhead but the identity of four CIA agents as well."  
"You will obtain the code from France and cross into Italy. There will be somebody tailing you for exactly three miles from when you enter the border. After that, you are to pull over to the side of the road, let the car pass, and the driver will signal the location of the safe house in Morse code with the brake lights. The road should be deserted, but as a precaution, your contact will get out to check the brakes as if there is something wrong with them." Jack said, talking rapidly. "You will then reach the safe house and stay for exactly five days. After the five days have passed, you are to come straight here from the airport."  
  
Everybody nodded and Kendall summed up the conference.  
  
"Any questions?"  
  
Nobody spoke. As they were getting up to leave, Jack spoke again, and everybody sat down into their seats again.  
  
"I almost forgot. Agent Chaplin, you will need to brush up on your Russian. I sense that Russian is not your strongest language and as you and Sydney are supposedly siblings, your accents cannot be different in the slightest."  
  
James nodded, taking a mental note to see the dialect expert. As everyone started to get up again, Vaughn protested and they all sat back down, sighing.  
  
"Wait...You're telling me, that Agent Chaplin is not sufficient in the Russian dialect, and he is posing as a native Russian. Wouldn't Robespierre suspect something? It's too risky."  
  
James looked at Vaughn, insulted, but held back his words in respect for a higher-ranking officer.  
  
"Well...Agent Vaughn. If you have any better ideas please...now is the time." Kendall prodded.  
  
Vaughn didn't know what else to do. He knew that he was the only one aware that Sydney was pregnant and it was too much of a risk. He felt protective of her physical and emotion well being. He breathed deeply,  
  
"I'll go." 


	9. No More Fire

Chap.9- No More Fire  
  
Almost everyone in the conference room turned to look at Vaughn in shock. Kendall had no expression on his face while Jack eyed Vaughn suspiciously. He knew that something had happened between Sydney and Vaughn when they disappeared into the garden. He didn't know what, but their attitude toward one another in the office had changed slightly. Slight enough for some people to miss, but nothing gets by Jack Bristow.  
  
"Sir..." Ana started, but then shut her mouth. At the party, after some gossip, Lisa had told her about the situation between Sydney and Vaughn. Mark had also told her once that Vaughn's wife had an anxiety attack once while he was away, in constant fear and paranoia that something would happen to him. After that, for the sake of her health, Vaughn had never gone on another mission.  
  
Kendall looked at Vaughn and squinted slightly. The man was sincere. Since Vaughn had stopped working in the field, the team had had several close calls but he did have to admit that Lee, Chaplin, and Jamison had done pretty well for amateurs. Now that Sydney was back on the team, her experience and skills boosted the team up again. With Bristow band/b Vaughn...he was sure that the mission would be a success.  
  
"Ok, Agent Vaughn. The more the merrier. We'll have to make some adjustments." Kendall stepped out of the conference room and brought a nervous looking young man into the conference room. "Lucas, I want you to contact our source in Russia. Tell her that they will not be posing as brother and sister but as..."  
  
Kendall paused and looked at Sydney and Michael. They were too close in age to be brother and sister and they looked nothing alike.  
  
"Kendall..." Jack warned quietly so that nobody but Kendall could hear.  
  
Kendall cleared his throat and started again.  
  
"Tell her that they will not be posing as brother and sister but as cousins."  
  
Lucas nodded and rushed off to relay the message while Kendall smiled in satisfaction while the relief clearly showed on Sydney and Vaughn's face. They were almost sure that Kendall would tell the Countess to introduce them as husband and wife.  
  
"Chaplin, you are reassigned and will accompany Lee and Jamison."  
  
James nodded and he too, was a bit relieved.  
  
"You leave in a week. Dismissed."  
  
The Agents stood up, hesitated, and when nobody spoke, they filed quickly out of the conference room. Sydney walked quickly, squeezing past people, finally reaching Vaughn who was walking briskly to his desk.  
  
"Vaughn!" Sydney said, trying to catch his attention. He turned around and looked at her. "You told me that your wife doesn't let you go on missions anymore!"  
"She doesn't."  
"Then why the hell..." Sydney asked.  
"I...I don't know, Syd." He looked up at the large clock mounted on the wall. "I have to get home." He said distractedly and walked away.  
  
It was when he was driving away when he realized that leaving the office wouldn't get him away from Sydney.  
  
Sydney waited a good hour until she left work for home too. There was no sign of Lauren or Vaughn and when she pulled into her garage she noticed that Scott wasn't home yet. The house felt extremely empty. She lied down onto the comfortable love seat and fell into a deep sleep.  
  
She was woken up by Scott's gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.  
  
"Sorry, I got caught up at the hospital." He whispered.  
"It's okay." Sydney said. She looked out the window and it was pitch black outside, with one or two twinkling stars in the sky. "What time is it?"  
  
Scott looked at his watch.  
  
"Almost twelve...Are you hungry?" He asked, getting up.  
"A little..." Sydney answered, although she could feel her stomach churn at the thought of food.  
"I'll make some dinner...just let me go get changed." He said, climbing the stairs.  
  
Sydney closed her eyes again and they suddenly flew open again. She and Scott hadn't really gotten around to the subject of her job, but knowing Scott, she knew that he would openly object to any missions. It was too late now. The Countess Turovstyn had already been given pictures of Sydney and Vaughn to show to Jacques Jacobins-Robespierre.  
  
Scott walked into the kitchen and started to make dinner. Sydney sat up, slowly, and looked at him from behind the couch.  
  
"Scott?"  
"Yes?"  
  
Sydney sighed. She didn't know what else to do.  
  
"I'mleavingforamissioninaboutaweek." She said quickly and started to walk hurriedly upstairs.  
"Wait...What?" A confused look crossed Scott's face. "Sydney! Come back!" He shouted in the direction of the stairs.  
  
Sydney slowly walked back into the kitchen and stood there guiltily.  
  
"Slowly this time," He instructed.  
"I..." She started.  
"Yes?" He prompted.  
  
Sydney clapped her hand to her mouth and ran to the bathroom. Once she got in there, she flushed the toilet and waited a while, buying as much time as she could. 'Maybe...if I stay in here long enough...he'll forget...' she thought to herself knowing that it wouldn't be possible in the least.  
  
Scott rapped on the door softly with his knuckles.  
  
"Sydney?" He paused and when she didn't answer, "Sydney? Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine..." she called back.  
"You've been in there for five minutes."  
"I know."  
"Come out."  
"No."  
"Why?"  
  
Sydney didn't answer him and exhaled loudly. To be honest, she really didn't know why she wouldn't come out. She didn't want to see his face expression when she told him. Maybe...it would be safer to tell him from behind a barrier.  
  
"I'm leaving in about a week."  
"Leaving? Where?"  
"France."  
"Why?"  
"A mission..."  
  
She could hear him sigh and then she winced, seeing his face in her mind.  
  
"Sydney...it's dangerous."  
"I know that, Scott. I can handle it."  
"Something might go wrong, Sydney. You never know."  
"Scott...just trust me, okay? After I finish this whole thing, no more missions. I promise."  
"Okay...fine. Will you come out now?"  
  
Sydney opened the door quickly, almost before he had a chance to step back and threw her arms around him.  
  
"I knew you would understand."  
"Yea...that's why you hid from me in a bathroom."  
  
Sydney rested her head on his right shoulder and turned her head.  
  
"Scott!" she shouted, pointing to the stove.  
  
Their dinner had been forgotten on the stove and the vegetables were on fire, wisps of smoke, curling up towards the ceiling.  
  
"Oh, shit!" Scott shouted, running towards the stove and turning the stove off with one hand and dousing water onto the fire with another. The water created even more smoke and steam, triggering the fire alarm that beeped loudly.  
  
Sydney ran to grab a newspaper and fanned the fire alarm until it stopped. She looked over at Scott. He smelled of smoke and burned vegetables, his sleeve had been singed by when he reached over to turn the stove off, and his hand had been burned slightly when the oil splattered onto his hand while escaping the water.  
  
Scott inspected their dinner and dumped it into the trashcan, his stomach growling.  
  
"You poor baby." Sydney said, taking his hand and examining the oil splatter. She walked over to the medicine cabinet and took out ointment and a Band-Aid, kissing his hand when she was done. "I think I'll do the cooking from now on." She laughed.  
  
Scott grinned.  
  
"What's for dinner?" He asked.  
  
Sydney opened the refrigerator door and rummaged around to extract bread, roast beef, tomatoes, and lettuce.  
  
"Sandwiches." She said setting the ingredients down on the counter while Scott looked sadly over at his grill outside. Sydney laughed.  
"No more fire today?" He asked, sadly.  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"No more fire." 


	10. The Kolesnikov's

Chap.10- The Kolesnikov's  
  
Scott begrudgingly handed Sydney her suitcase from the top shelf of their closet. He had tried to persuade Sydney not to go, but she had playfully announced that they had shaken on it and there were "no take backs".  
  
He watched her pull clothes from her closet and as neatly and quickly as she could, fold and pack them into the suitcase. She paused for a moment and looked at him as he watched her, leaned back against the door frame with his arms crossed against his chest. He was agitated, she could tell, trying to be understanding, but regretting his decision to let her go.  
  
She stopped packing and gave him a kiss.  
  
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Sydney said, referring to herself and the baby.  
"Be careful."  
"I will."  
  
Sydney went back to the suitcase and zipped it up. Scott took it from her and loaded it into the back of her car.  
  
He waved to her as she pulled out of the driveway and into the open road.  
  
Because of his decision, Vaughn had been through a week of hell. Lauren had claimed that "he didn't love her anymore" and that he wasn't really going on a mission, but to see his girlfriend. He assured her that yes, he did still love her and that no, he wasn't going to see the girlfriend that he didn't have, but he was really going on a mission.  
  
After popping some of her anxiety pills, Lauren calmed down. Of course, he couldn't tell her what the mission was about, but he explained to her that it would be too risky if he didn't go.  
  
It took a couple of days for her to finally agree to him going on this mission, although Vaughn knew that he would have to go on the mission even if she didn't give her consent.  
  
Three hours ago, his beeper went off and he didn't even have to look at it to know that he would have to start packing. He had to look through a couple of boxes and he finally found the suitcase that he hadn't used in a while.  
  
It was like seeing an old friend again.  
  
Vaughn packed his suitcase hurriedly, kissed Lauren goodbye and walked to his car. His blood was pumping, his mind working, a feeling he had missed. He was made to work in the field, and he was ready.  
  
When he arrived at the Ops Center, Sydney, Ana, and James were already there. Their bags were loaded onto the plane and after five minutes, Mark arrived, panting and out of breath.  
  
"Sorry..." He apologized, handing his bag over to the attendant to load onto the plane and gulping for air.  
  
Kendall looked annoyed at Mark's lack of punctuality, but continued talking, handing Sydney and Vaughn the invitation and passports. He gave Ana a small black bag containing the needles and told Mark and James that everything that they needed would be in the van.  
  
Sydney and Vaughn's comm. links were sewed into their formal attire that was waiting for them at the hotel. Kendall handed Sydney a locket necklace that had a camera installed into the small gem in the center, one of Marshall's newest creations.  
  
The plan was for Sydney to seduce the tattooed man into a secluded hallway of the castle and Vaughn would spray him with the spray outfitted in his cufflinks, knocking him unconscious. They would then contact Ana, who would come in through a window, administer the chemical and get back to the van.  
  
The pilot looked at his watch.  
  
"Mr. Kendall, the plane will takeoff in ten minutes."  
  
Kendall surveyed the five agents that stood before him. He nodded curtly in approval, turned on his heel, and walked back into the center. They were then led up the stairs of the plane and as soon as they were buckled in, the plane took off into the dark sky.  
  
Ana and James sat with their heads together, whispering quietly. Occasionally a giggle or two would escape from Ana and she would retort to James, making him blush a deep red and smile.  
  
Mark was openly annoyed at their displays of affection and he showed it, but Sydney could tell that he was happy for James, relentlessly teasing him about it. With nothing to do, Mark produced a Game Boy from his bag. He offered it to Sydney and Vaughn. When they both declined, he shrugged his shoulders and turned it on, his fingers furiously pressing the buttons. The bleeps and noises distracted Ana and James and they looked up to glare at him while he grinned madly.  
  
Sydney smiled at the three of them but then she quickly unbuckled her seat belt and leapt up, headed for the bathroom. When she came back from the bathroom, Mark had taken her seat to get away from Ana and James.  
  
She sighed, hitting him on the head as she walked past him, and sat down into his seat, next to Vaughn.  
  
"Hey." He greeted her as she sat down and buckled herself in.  
"Hey, yourself."  
  
Vaughn looked at her slightly green-tinted complexion.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.  
"I'm fine."  
"I don't remember you having motion sickness."  
"It's the morning sickness." Sydney said, flipping through a magazine.  
"Oh."  
  
He looked out the window for a while, but it was too dark to see anything. Leaning back into his chair, Sydney looked at him quizzically.  
  
"I still don't understand why you're coming with us."  
"Neither do I." Vaughn answered her, embarrassed at his reason.  
  
She studied his face and shook her head.  
  
"Yes you do."  
"No..."  
"You ialways/i have a reason, Vaughn."  
"What?" He looked at her and thought, frowning. He idid/i always have a reason.  
"So..." She prompted.  
"So?"  
"So what's your reason?"  
  
He sucked in his breath and looked at her steadily.  
  
"I know that I'm the only one that knows that you're...."  
"Pregnant." She ended for him.  
"Yea...and I...I guess that...I would feel responsible if I let you go on this mission with someone that could endanger your life while I could've..." He waved around for the right words.  
"Protected me?" Sydney asked him disbelievingly. "Vaughn...you know that I can take care of myself."  
  
Vaughn didn't say anything and turned back to the window. Sydney tugged on his shoulder until he was back into his seat again and looking at her.  
  
"Thank you, Vaughn."  
"For what?"  
"For worrying about me," Sydney said. "And...I feel safer with you here. It'll be like old times."  
  
She smiled at him and a grin tugged on one side of his mouth.  
  
"Yea...just like old times," He said agreeing with her and smiled fully.  
"Are you excited?"  
"About what?"  
"Going back to France, going on your first mission in a long time..." Sydney answered. "But you probably went to France on your honeymoon, right?"  
  
Vaughn shook his head.  
  
"No. Lauren wanted to, but I didn't."  
  
Sydney started to ask him why, but decided against it.  
  
"Does your mother live there?"  
"Yea..." Vaughn told her, and then realized that it was almost a month ago when he had promised to call his mother back. "Shit!"  
"What?"  
"Nothing...It's just that I promised my mother that I would call her almost a month ago."  
  
"Call her when we get to the hotel." She suggested.  
"I don't think she'll like that."  
"Why not?" Sydney asked, confused.  
"She'll never forgive me if I'm in France and I don't visit her."  
  
Sydney laughed.  
  
They continued to talk easily and as interesting as their conversation was, her eyelids threatened to close, but she quickly forced them open again, hoping that Vaughn didn't notice. She was tired, yes, but she had all the time in the world to sleep. Their conversations were treasured moments that she had missed with an aching heart.  
  
But Vaughn did notice.  
  
"You should get some sleep."  
"No, Vaughn..." She protested, but Vaughn rested his head against the chair and closed his eyes, refusing to say another word.  
  
Sydney looked at his eyes closely, and when they didn't open again, she settled back against the chair herself and fell asleep almost instantly. After a couple of minutes, her head slid from the central position on the seat onto Vaughn's shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked down. He lifted his hand up to shake her awake, but then dropped it down against the arm rest again.  
  
Six hours later, the plane landed onto a runway in Boston's Logan Airport. Sydney jerked awake and looked at the shoulder that she was sleeping on. Vaughn, woken up by the rough landing too, glanced down at her.  
  
"Good Morning." He said groggily.  
"Sorry..." Sydney remarked, apologetically and sat upright.  
"It's okay." He said, waving off her apologies as if they were gnats.  
  
They quickly grabbed their bags from under their seats and walked quickly toward terminal F18, the jet to France.  
  
Hours later, they arrived in France tired and grumpy from the red-eye flight and the long uncomfortable hours on the plane.  
  
They got into the long customs line and Sydney, Vaughn, Ana, James, and Mark took out the passports and papers given to them by Kendall.  
  
Sydney quickly opened hers to make sure that she had gotten the right one. She saw her picture and then slapped it shut, making a small piece of paper flutter to the ground.  
  
"Excuse me, you dropped this." A teenage girl, said, tapping Sydney on the shoulder and handing her the piece of paper.  
"Thank you." Sydney said, and opened up the slip of paper to read.  
  
iMrs. Ani Kolesnikov, it would be a good idea for you and Mr. Dmitri Kolesnikov to wear your wedding rings, as you would not want to appear "unfaithful or anything of that nature".../i  
  
Sydney looked closely at the loops of the l's and the slightly diagonal crosses of the t's. She closed her eyes in disbelief.  
  
Kendall.  
  
Tapping Vaughn on the shoulder, she handed him the slip of paper. His green eyes scanned it quickly and a shocked expression appeared on his face.  
  
"Bastard..." Vaughn whispered. "You fucking son-of-a-bitch..."  
  
Vaughn took his ring out of his pocket and Sydney took her rings out of her purse. They each looked at the band of gold that promised them to other people. Sydney traced the contours and edges of her two-carat diamond engagement ring.  
  
Looking up and into each others eyes, they smiled at each other.  
  
"Cheers." Vaughn said, slipping the band onto his ring finger.  
"Cheers." Sydney answered, slipping her engagement ring and wedding band onto her ring finger. She liked the usual weight on her hand, but a heavy feeling encased her heart. It felt as if she was cheating on Scott.  
  
Vaughn looked at her sad face and understood.  
  
"It's a mission. Remember that."  
  
Sydney nodded but added sadly,  
  
"He could've at least provided rings."  
  
Vaughn nodded in agreement. In front of him, Mark, Ana, and James were going through customs as college students...again.  
  
"Extremely creative and original people we have." Mark muttered under his breath as they stood, waiting for their luggage to come around after they had gone through customs.  
"Very." James agreed and lunged forward for his bag.  
  
Ana looked back at the customs gate and saw that Sydney and Vaughn had just placed their passports and papers onto the counter.  
  
"Monsieur Kolesnikov?" The customs agent pronounced with much difficulty.  
"Oui." Vaughn answered.  
"Madame Kolesnikov?"  
"Oui." Sydney confirmed.  
"Welcome to France." The customs agent greeted them in a practiced English phrase.  
"Merci." 


	11. Simple Elegance and the Eyes

Chap.11- Simple Elegance and the Eyes  
  
Sydney and Vaughn arrived at the hotel twenty minutes later. Porters rushed out from the hotel to receive their bags and escort them into their room. When the porter opened the door to their room, Sydney almost gasped in surprised but changed it to a haughty sound of approval.  
  
The porter left them alone after a generous tip from Vaughn. Sydney yawned,  
  
"I think I'm going to take a nap."  
  
Vaughn nodded and sat down at the table to study the invitation. The party would start at 7:30 for dinner and end well into the next day. The plan was the same: get the code, destroy the tattoo, and get out. But, now the situation was different and they would have to improvise.  
  
A sharp rapping interrupted him and he whirled around in his chair to see where it was coming from. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was Ana. Getting up, he crossed the room and opened the glass door for Ana, James, and Mark who had climbed up the terrace.  
  
"Did anybody see you?" Vaughn asked as he craned his neck around outside.  
"Of course not, you've got the most private room in the hotel." Ana said stepping into the suit, her feet sinking in the plush carpet.  
"Whoa...!" Mark exclaimed, surveying the room. "What the hell? How is this fair again?"  
"What?"  
"We've got the crappy motel two streets down." James explained.  
  
The three of them walked around the suite eating food out of the mini bar, courtesy of the CIA. Later, they joined Vaughn at the table, discussing plans and going over the strategies.  
  
Sydney, woke up from the commotion, and walked into the room quietly.  
  
"Hey, you guys." She greeted.  
"Hey." The three of them chorused.  
"Did we wake you up?" Vaughn asked.  
"No, no." Sydney assured him. "What are you guys talking about?"  
"Tonight."  
"Ah, I see." She said and walked back into the room to continue her nap.  
  
Vaughn looked at his watch. They could leave in two hours and still be on time. Sydney hadn't waken up from her nap yet and he looked at the oak door that separated them. Tentatively, he reached out for the knob, and opened the door gently. She was curled up under the covers, her back to him.  
  
He walked around to the other side of the bed and looked at her sleeping face. He didn't want to wake her up, but he would have to so that they could get showered, dressed, and get into their act. In less than two hours they would have to become Mr. and Mrs. Kolesnikov.  
  
Bending down and lightly touching her shoulder, her eyes flew open and she looked at him. She sat up and wrapped the comforter around her.  
  
"We're going to have to start getting ready." He told her. "You can have the shower first."  
  
Sydney nodded and got up from the bed, walking over to the closet and pulling the door open. She reached inside and pulled out the dress. It was a silk, floor length red dress. The front had a V-neck cut and the back of the dress plunged down to almost the small of her back, with straps criss- crossing each other. The shoes were the same, crimson blood red and had tiny diamonds encrusting the buckle. For jewelry, they had decided to trade the camera locket for a large ruby hung on a chain. She looked at the ruby closely and saw a small, almost unnoticeable blemish that she knew to be the camera.  
  
The CIA couldn't use any fake jewels. If that were discovered, their cover would be blown. It wouldn't make any sense that someone, who had recently come into a large fortune, would want to wear rhinestones to an important social event instead of showing off their real diamonds.  
  
Laying the dress onto the bed, Sydney grabbed her bathrobe and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.  
  
Ten minutes later,  
  
"It's all yours." Sydney called out to Vaughn, as she passed him, walking into her room and shutting the door.  
  
Vaughn looked at his watch as he waited for Sydney in the lobby of the hotel where they had agreed to meet. He had already called a limo that was on its way. Scanning around the room, he saw a figure descending down the spiral stairs and stared.  
  
The dress fit her as if it was tailored to her exact measurements. The heels, gave her extra height, preventing the dress from looking too long, but instead, it covered her legs to the exact length that it was as if she was gliding. The necklace accented the dress perfectly and strikingly contrasted against her chest, moving with her every breath. Sydney had curled her hair and arranged it on top of her head, clipping it with clips covered with real, tiny, diamonds. Delicate ruby and diamond earrings dripped from her ears.  
  
Simple Elegance.  
  
As Sydney descended the stairs she looked at the man sitting on a couch at the bottom of the stairs. Her breath caught in her throat. The black tux, accented his shoulders and broad chest. The pure, white, of his shirt struck against the blackness of the silk tie. She could remember the contours of his strong legs as she looked at his pants. His sandy blonde hair was natural and ruffled as it always was. She walked closer and stood next to him, looking into his eyes, becoming lost in the green. It was the eyes. It was always the eyes.  
  
Sydney realized how entranced she was becoming and quickly looked away while Vaughn cleared his throat.  
  
"Excuse me." A porter interrupted, embarrassed at having interrupted at such a private and personal moment. "Your ride is here."  
  
Sydney looked up at Vaughn and he nodded to her. Together, they walked out of the lobby and into the limo. Vaughn handed the driver the address, a castle in Loire Valley.  
  
"Ahh..." the driver said, exclaiming at the name of the castle, "Château de Chenonceau est belle!"  
  
After acquiring some information about the Chateau and the owner from the driver, Sydney and Vaughn decided to just lean back and enjoy beautiful view. Half and hour later, the driver pulled into the gate, handed the guard the invitation and drove in. The Chateau was beautiful with rolling gardens and scenery. The sun was about to set and the sky was painted with beautiful oranges, reds, yellows, and tints of purple and blue all blended together perfectly.  
  
The driver helped Sydney out of the limo and ran around to the other side to close the door for Vaughn. Sydney and Vaughn walked the length of the limo and at the front; Vaughn held his hand out to Sydney. She took his hand, and squeezed it lightly. Together, they walked into the back garden where Jacques Jacobins-Robespierre was waiting for his guests.  
  
Mostly everyone was already there and despite them being on time, they were the last ones there. Jacobins-Robespierre saw that someone new was here, and walked over to meet them. Sydney and Vaughn met him halfway and he smiled warmly at them.  
  
"I don't recognize you two, so you must be Mr. and Mrs. Dmitri Kolesnikov!"  
"Monsieur..." Sydney started, but he waved her off.  
"Non, we have all decided to speak English at this party!" Jacobins- Robespierre declared grandly, indicating at all the different regions everybody was from.  
  
Sydney faked a small sigh of relief,  
  
"Oh, how wonderful! I am no good at French, you see." She responded in a thick Russian accent.  
"I see you have been working on your English!" Robespierre told her, as a compliment.  
  
Sydney blushed and Vaughn cleared his throat. Robespierre tore his eyes off Sydney and looked at Vaughn.  
  
"Mr. Kolesnikov," Robespierre greeted. "I am so pleased that you and your lovely wife could make this event..."  
"Dmitri, please. And this is my wife, Ani."  
"Ani...it means 'beautiful' is Slavic, no?"  
  
Sydney nodded.  
  
"It is obvious for all to see..." Jacques said, trailing off a kissing Sydney on the hand.  
  
She giggled flirtatiously and Vaughn cleared his throat again as a clear warning to Robespierre. Jacobins-Robespierre, now understanding the hint, announced that dinner was ready.  
  
They all walked inside towards the dining hall and started to sit at their respective place cards. Sydney now saw the man in the picture, and he sat down at the place next to Vaughn. Swiftly and discreetly, she switched her and Vaughn's place cards and sat down in the seat.  
  
Throughout the dinner, she made passes at the tattooed man who had introduced himself to her as Joseph Barbagallos. She looked over at Vaughn who looked as if he was in pain. A baroness, much older than he was, was trying to seduce him and would constantly brush her hair from her neck, trying to look seductive.  
  
She looked over to her left at Barbagallos who was already smitten with her. Whatever she did now didn't matter. No matter what, he would follow her into the hallway. Vaughn sat straight in his seat shaking his head to all of the Baroness' questions.  
  
"Dmitri..." She whispered.  
  
He looked at her and she leaned to give him a kiss on the lips. His green eyes widened a bit in shock, but he knew why she had done that.  
  
The Baroness noticed the large engagement ring that was now flashing in her eyes, and sat back in disgust. She didn't talk to him or answer any of his questions for the rest of dinner, and he was grateful.  
  
The dinner plates had been cleared away by the help and the guests all moved into the garden for dancing and entertainment.  
  
"Wherever did you find such a lovely estate?" Sydney asked Jacobins- Robespierre in amazement. The sun had set and the sky was a dusky, purple blue. The stars had begun to twinkle in the sky and the gardens that had just been watered, glistened in the soft moonlight.  
"E-bay," Jacobins-Robespierre told her jokingly and offered her a glass of champagne which she refused. Sydney laughed loudly in response and after chatting with him about the Countess Turovystn, she excused herself to find Vaughn who was standing near some rosebushes, surveying the guests.  
  
Sydney tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He turned his head and she nodded to him. They both turned on their comm. links and James responded on the other end. They were situated and ready. After surveying the security cameras for a minute, James told Sydney to use the east wing of the house. It was secluded from the rest and there were no guards or staff in it.  
  
Vaughn was now engaged in a conversation in rapid French with some businessmen and was looking around him, distracted. When he turned around to put his empty champagne fluke onto a tray the waiter was carrying around, he whispered quietly into his comm. link.  
  
"Ten o'clock."  
  
Sydney looked at him from across the garden and then to her ten o'clock where Barbagallos was alone, leaning against a stone wall, obviously drunk. Sydney lowered her hand down to her side and held out four fingers in a natural pose.  
  
Vaughn nodded. He would wait exactly four minutes until he would head into the east wing to find Sydney.  
  
After confirming that Vaughn understood her gesture, Sydney patted her hair and walked towards Barbagallos with nothing else on her mind and almost running into someone.  
  
"Pardon me." The person said with a slight Argentinean accent.  
  
Sydney looked up and their eyes met.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry." She apologized, acting flustered.  
"No. My entire fault, really." He said, and moved away, lost in the crowd.  
  
Quickly forgetting about the encounter, Sydney slowed down her pace and walked languidly towards the stone wall, and leaning against it, she looked up at the now dark sky.  
  
"It's beautiful isn't it?" She asked, inclining her head against Barbagallos.  
"Beautiful..." Barbagallos answered, his eyes eying her hungrily.  
"Do you attend Mr. Robespierre's parties often?"  
"Yes. The man throws....fantastic...parties..." He slurred.  
"This place is beautiful." Sydney said, gesturing towards the castle and the grounds.  
"Would you like a tour inside?" Barbagallos asked her, an idea forming in his head.  
"Oh, you wouldn't mind?"  
"Non. Not at all."  
  
Barbagallos took her arm and led her into the castle.  
  
"Left or right?" He asked her as they stepped into the chateau. Sydney thought for a second.  
"Right."  
"No...I think we should go left."  
"Why is that?"  
"That is the eastern wing, Mrs. Kolesnikov. Entirely empty."  
  
Sydney looked at him with a small smile and he smiled back, understanding her hint. Taking her arm again, he led her into the eastern wing and true to his word; the eastern wing was entirely deserted with not a person in sight.  
  
Paintings and intricately woven tapestries hung on the walls of the long hall and Sydney walked around, admiring them until Barbagallos turned her around and pressed her against the wall, his hot breath breathing on her, kissing her neck and lips. She could taste the alcohol on his lips and smell it weighing heavily on his breath.  
  
Sydney closed her eyes as she counted in her head. 'One more minute.' She told herself. 'And then, Vaughn will come save me.'  
  
But the minutes passed and Vaughn wasn't there. Considering, knocking him unconscious by force because of where he was placing his hands, she decided that she would wait another minute. It wasn't part of the plan and it would be too visible if she knocked him out by force and he would remember.  
  
No, she would wait. She had faith that Vaughn would follow through for her.  
  
Vaughn was in the gardens by himself, looking at his watch anxiously. He didn't want Sydney to have to suffer anymore than she had to. Finally, the minute hand reached the exact position he wanted and as he got up to leave, the Baroness that had been harassing him at dinner appeared at his side, pulling him back into a sitting position.  
  
"Where are you leaving to, Mr. Kolesnikov?" She asked, looking down at him.  
"I have an important business meeting tomorrow morning. I think it would be best if me and my wife leave right now." He said, starting to get up again.  
  
She pushed him down.  
  
"It's so early. The party has just begun."  
"No, I really must go find my wife."  
"I don't think that you want to." She told him, looking sympathetic.  
"And why would that be, Baroness?"  
"Why, I just saw her enter the house with Mr. Robespierre's business associate. You can just imagine what they're doing in there..." The Baroness looked closely at his face expression. "Don't worry, Mr. Kolesnikov. I will always be here for you."  
  
She ran her long fingernails through his hair and leaned down to kiss him. He turned his face away, and got up hurriedly.  
  
"Excuse me, Baroness. I really must find Ani."  
"No, no! It's my favorite song, let's dance." The baroness cried, grabbing him with a surprised amount of force and dragging him onto the dance floor.  
  
Vaughn put up with her for a minute or two and when she turned to get them two glasses of wine, he ran into the house.  
  
"James." Vaughn said into his comm. link. "Where is she?"  
"Turn right." James instructed. "Up the stairs and down the hallway."  
  
"Thanks. Tell Ana to leave now."  
  
Vaughn ran into the hallway and found Sydney starting to squirm out of Barbagallos' grasp.  
  
"Dmitri! This man is taking advantage of me!" She cried helplessly.  
"What are you doing to my wife?" Vaughn shouted, turning Barbagallos by the shoulder and punching him in the face.  
  
Barbagallos fell over and Vaughn bent down to spray him in the face. A bruise was beginning to form on his right eye and Barbagallos didn't move again.  
  
"I'm running late! You'll have to prep him for me." Ana's voice rang in softly through the comm. link.  
  
Sydney and Vaughn looked at each other and then down in Barbagallos in disgust.  
  
"You do it." Sydney said, moving away.  
"What? Why me?" Vaughn asked. Sydney looked at him pleadingly and he sighed loudly. "Fine...but you owe me."  
  
Vaughn started looking for the tattooed and let out a sigh of relief when he didn't have to look farther than the man's back. Sydney turned around and looked at the tattoo in shock. It covered the entirety of the back and looked like a mass a scribbles and pictographs that had been crammed together to fit.  
  
Sydney took off her necklace and went over the tattoo and after it glowed, signaling that James and Mark had receive the data in the station, she put it back on again and snapped pictures for a secondary source. When she was done she ran to the window that Ana was rapping at softly.  
  
"Did you get it?" She whispered.  
  
Sydney nodded and they both ran over to the man. After carefully administering the chemical, Ana gave him a shot to reduce the soreness and pain so that hopefully Barbagallos wouldn't notice until he undressed to go to bed the next afternoon. Ana leapt back out the window again and Sydney carefully closed the window after her.  
  
Vaughn had put Barbagallos' shirt, jacket, and tie back on. He and Sydney both looked at the large bruise forming on his eye and they started to drag him toward the stairs, arranging him as if he had collapsed from excessive alcohol consumption and hit his face on the rail. Vaughn walked downstairs to the kitchen and when nobody was looking, he stole a bottle of whiskey, poured the majority of it into the bushes, and placed it by Barbagallos.  
  
The two of them looked down, satisfied, and after Sydney had fixed her hair, wiped her lips and neck with a handkerchief, and straightened her dress, the two of them walked outside hand-in-hand. 


	12. Dead Shot

Chap. 12- Dead Shot  
  
Jacques Jacobins-Robespierre waved Sydney and Vaughn over to the table that he was sitting at. The two of them walked over to him and joined him at the table, enjoying the ballad that the orchestra was playing.  
  
"Are you having a good time?" Jacques asked the two of them.  
"I'm having a lovely time...what a wonderful party!" Sydney exclaimed.  
"I'm delighted you think so, Ani."  
  
A burst of applause interrupted their conversation and Sydney looked over to see that the dessert cook had flambéed their dessert. The sweet, alcoholic scent wafted over to her and she bolted up, running into the house toward a bathroom that she had seen.  
  
Vaughn and Jacques were alarmed at her sudden movement and Vaughn rushed after her.  
  
"Excuse me, Jacques." Vaughn said, pushing his chair back from the table.  
"Of course." Robespierre said, languidly, applauding himself at the new burst of fire.  
  
After Vaughn had found Sydney and she had assured him that she was okay, they joined the rest of the guests at the party. Sydney's face had paled dramatically and she was feeling faint.  
  
Jacques turned to them and noticed Sydney's complexion.  
  
"Ani! You are feeling not well, yes?"  
  
Sydney could only nod.  
  
"If you'll pardon us, I would like to allow my wife to rest in quiet." Vaughn said.  
"Of course. Of course. It was wonderful meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Kolesnikov. I can only hope that we meet again." Jacques said, kissing Sydney's hand and shaking Vaughn's.  
"Likewise." Vaughn said politely, and with Sydney leaning on his shoulder, he supported her back to the limo and instructed the driver back to the hotel.  
  
Having only had four hours of sleep, Vaughn rolled over in his bed and looked at the clock that showed that it was three in the morning. Ana, James, and Mark had picked up the car last night and would meet them outside in twenty minutes. Groaning, he had forgotten how stressful and tiring the missions could be. He quickly packed everything into his bag, making sure that he had the tux too.  
  
He walked to Sydney's room and knocked on the door quietly. She opened it and was already fully dressed, bag packed, and ready to go.  
  
"Ready?" He asked.  
"Yes." She answered him, and she looked around, making sure that they didn't leave anything in the room. They walked downstairs and she sat on the couch while Vaughn checked out of the hotel.  
  
After the porter loaded their bags into the cab, Vaughn instructed the driver to drop them off at the airport. When they arrived at the airport, and made sure that the driver was out of sight, Vaughn and Sydney stood by the loading area, waiting for Mark, James, and Ana to pick them up. When they came, Vaughn took over the wheel and Sydney sat in the front seat.  
  
They had driven for a couple hours when they finally reached the border between France and Italy. The border patrol checked their identification and asked them a few questions. Satisfied, he opened the gate for them and they drove into Italy.  
  
Sydney noticed a black beetle following them and pointed it out. Vaughn pressed the meter on the car and after three miles; the beetle was still following them closely. Vaughn pulled over to the shoulder of the road and let the car pass. After the car had traveled a short distance, he pulled back into the road and followed the car. The driver, started to tap the brakes in Morse code and everybody observed closely.  
  
The driver then got out of his car, waved apologetically at them, and went around to the back to check his brakes. He then went to the front of the car to check the engine, lifting up the hood. He looked up and he and Sydney's eyes met. She gasped.  
  
She had seen this man before when she ran into him at the party.  
  
Another realization hit her. The car was a beetle. The engine is in the back. He was now reaching into the trunk.  
  
"Vaughn! Go! Go!" She urged.  
  
Vaughn hadn't met the man at the party, but he did notice how the man went to the front instead of the back for the engine. His reflexes were quick, but the man, already anticipating a getaway produced his gun from the trunk and shot a tire, causing the car to swerve dangerously.  
  
He shot again and hit the windshield. They ducked and covered their heads as glass shattered, falling around them. Vaughn quickly reached under his seat and pulled out a small handgun.  
  
The man had already started walking toward them, his gun ready.  
  
Quickly, Vaughn sat up again and shot the man in square in the chest, killing him instantly. The four of them, sat up cautiously and got out of the car. Sydney and Vaughn went to inspect the man while Ana, James, and Mark went over to the car.  
  
Vaughn's shot had hit the man right in the heart.  
  
"Dead shot." Sydney whispered. She reached into his pockets and shoes, anywhere he could hide anything, but there was nothing there. No identification, no reminders, no receipts, no papers, no nothing.  
"Hey, you guys better get over here." Mark shouted in their direction. Sydney and Vaughn got up from their position over the man and walked over to the car.  
  
Inside the trunk was their original contact.  
  
He was dead; there was no doubt about that. His blonde hair was now stained red from the blood that pooled from his head. His fingernails were pulled back when he was tortured for information, his legs and arms in odd, un- human angles.  
  
Ana inspected his head wound and his other injuries. Shaking her head she announced,  
  
"He died from head trauma. This was obviously received from a blunt object multiple times. His limbs are broken in several places. There was no way he could have survived."  
  
Sydney took out her small camera and after snapping a few pictures of their contact and the dead man, she instructed them all to help clear the road in case a car should drive by. Mark and James started to dig a plot for their contact, out of respect. Ana, Sydney, and Vaughn lifted the man into their car after they had emptied out all their belongings and pushed it into the nearby lake.  
  
The car would resurface in time, but by then, no one would be able to identify the body.  
  
Mark and James called Ana to help them dig the plot while Sydney and Vaughn started to talk.  
  
"We can't go to the safe house. Someone will be there waiting."  
"I know."  
  
Vaughn paced the pavement, deep in thought. Sydney leaned on the hood of the car and watched him. Five minutes later, he looked up at her.  
  
"I've got an idea."  
  
He whispered it to her hurriedly and she looked at him...unsure.  
  
"I wouldn't want to put her in danger."  
"Trust me; she can take care of herself." Vaughn said. "You two are very much alike." He added as an after thought.  
  
Sydney smiled.  
  
"Well...let's go then."  
  
Sydney went to get Mark, James, and Ana as Vaughn walked to the man's car and inspected it. Apart from the blood stains in the trunk, the car was fine. He took a pocketknife from his suitcase and cut out the material from the trunk. There was nothing under it and the blood hadn't seeped past it. Vaughn flung the material into the lake too, making sure it sank before he walked back to the car.  
  
Mark and James were stamping the earth flat while Ana and Sydney walked back to the road and climbed into the car. Vaughn looked at the road. There was a small amount of blood left from when they had dragged the man into the car, but besides that, it looked as if nothing had happened at all.  
  
He shuddered at how easy it was to cover up the murder.  
  
After Mark and James had finished and covered up the plot with leaves and twigs, they climbed into the car too.  
  
"Where are we going?" Ana asked curiously.  
"You'll see when we get there." He said and made a three-point turn and headed back for France.  
  
They had been driving non-stop for a long time. Everybody was cramped up in the small car and it was silent. Vaughn had refused to stop, saying that it would be best if they got there as soon as they could. Finally, he was forced to stop for gas and they all stumbled out, stretching their legs and grateful for the fresh night air.  
  
Sydney took over the pump as Vaughn went inside to borrow the phone from the clerk of the gas station.  
  
The clerk told him exasperatingly that they did not allow anybody to borrow the phone. Her attitude changed when francs were exchanged between them and she gladly took out the phone from under the desk and told him that he was free to use it as much as he wanted.  
  
Nodding, he looked at her expectantly until she got up and said that she would go assist Sydney in pumping the gas. Vaughn looked around the tiny store and made sure that there was nobody there.  
  
Quickly, he dialed a number and waited patiently, praying that she would still be awake. At the fifth ring, he breathed a sigh of relief as the phone was picked up.  
  
"Bonjour?"  
"Bonjour." He answered.  
"Michael, is that you?" The women on the other side asked questioningly, immediately reverting to English.  
"Yes. It's me."  
"Are you in France?"  
"Yes. I have a favor to ask of you."  
  
He spoke quickly and rapidly, hoping that she could follow him. A brief silence followed.  
  
"Of course. Anything for my son." 


	13. Embraces

Hey everyone, so sorry for the wait, but my disk that I save my work on had a problem and it can't be opened without it being reformatted (which erases everything on the disk), so I've lost my original chapter 13, which has sent me into a bad mood for a while. But anyways, here it is:  
  
Chap. 13- Embraces  
  
"Wait here." Vaughn instructed to the four of them as he opened the car door. Staggering, from sheer exhaustion of driving all day, he unsteadily walked up the stone steps and rang the door bell. He could hear the soft slippered steady footsteps approaching the door, and out of habit, he combed his hair with his fingers and tugged at his shirt.  
  
The curtain covering the window near the door was pulled back quickly and before it had settled back into its usual position, the large door swung open and a woman walked forward, enveloping Vaughn into a tight hug.  
  
"Michael!"  
"Maman." Vaughn answered, returning her warm embrace.  
  
Bridgette Vaughn looked into her son's bloodshot eyes and then past his shoulder at the dark car. Squinting, she made out four figures. One had slumped against the door and she assumed that the person was sleeping soundly. The other three sat quietly and unmoving.  
  
"You look awful, Michael." She remarked, cupping his face with her hand. Michael put his hand over hers and smiled.  
"Thanks, Maman."  
  
She smiled back at him, and then waved him off toward the car.  
  
"Go get your friends. I have your beds made already and your dinner is on the stove."  
  
Vaughn nodded and turned back to walk down the path and toward the car slowly, the feeling in his leg and back starting to come back. Reaching the car, he opened the door and they all squinted at the sudden light.  
  
"Come on. There are beds waiting for you inside."  
"Beds?" Mark asked sleepily in a surprised tone, as if beds were a rare luxury.  
"Yes. Beds." Vaughn confirmed.  
  
Mark sat up from his sleeping position and the rest of them grabbed their luggage, walking into the house.  
  
After dinner and a countless number of thank-you's to Bridgette for her hospitality, Mark, James, and Ana trooped upstairs into their rooms, eager for the warm bed. Sydney and Vaughn stayed downstairs in the kitchen, taking over the task of washing the dishes from Bridgette and trying to usher her upstairs.  
  
Bridgette, refusing, started to wipe down the table and her ears could catch the whispered conversation between Sydney and Vaughn. She knew that something had happened or Vaughn wouldn't have called her like this, at the last minute. The car, she noticed, couldn't have been the car they had started with. It wasn't sensible to rent a car that small to fit five people in.  
  
"What are you going to do about the car?" Bridgette asked quietly, as she walked over to the sink to hang the tea towel.  
  
Sydney and Vaughn looked over at her, surprised, but did not show it.  
  
"I don't know yet." Vaughn answered his mother honestly. He was too tired to think.  
"I'll park it in a towing zone." Sydney said, starting to get up from where she had just sat down. "It's a rental, it'll eventually be returned when nobody claims it."  
"Sit. Sit." Bridgette said, motioning to Sydney.  
  
Sydney sat obediently.  
  
"We're too far out." Vaughn said, sensing her confusion. "The next major city with towing zones is about two hours away."  
"The truck is broken." Bridgette said, "You can't follow behind her."  
  
"Is it possible to wait until morning?"  
"No. This road is very busy in the mornings. I allow people to drive across it so they will not have to go all the way around."  
  
Vaughn rubbed his face in frustration, causing Bridgette to notice his agitation.  
  
"I'm out of ideas." Vaughn said, leaning against the wall.  
"Don't worry." Bridgette assured Sydney and Vaughn. "I'll take care of it."  
  
As the two of them were about to ask her how, she remarked at how tired they both looked and mentioned the beds she had promised. Vaughn groaned and looked at his mother through one eye. She nodded comfortingly and he looked over at Sydney who had been silent.  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Vaughn...for everything."  
"Bridgette, please." Bridgette said, embracing Sydney in a deep motherly hug.  
  
Tears sprang from Sydney's eyes and turning away so that Bridgette wouldn't see, she walked quickly up the stairs. Vaughn, seeing how upset Sydney was, wished his mother a good-night and walked up after her.  
  
Bridgette had seen the tears in Sydney's eyes, and wondered. Shaking her head, she set her mind to the focus task and walked into the study, closing the thick door behind her so that nobody could hear her conversation. Picking up the phone, she dialed a familiar number and listened.  
  
"Hello?" He asked groggily, annoyed at the hour.  
"I need a favor." She said.  
"Bridgette! A favor?"  
"Yes."  
"Ask."  
"I need you to take care of a car for me."  
"Why? What happened?" The man asked immediately.  
"It's not for me. It's for my son." She told him  
"Well..." The man said, hesitating.  
"Please."  
"Alright, I'll send somebody over right now."  
"Thank you."  
"Anything for you, Bridgette. After all you've done for us; it is the least I can do."  
  
Vaughn reached Sydney's room just as she was wiping the tears from her eye.  
  
"Syd? Are you okay?" He asked his voice housing deep concern.  
"Yea, it's the..."  
"No it's not." He cut in, knowing that her tears had nothing to do with her pregnancy. "What's wrong?"  
  
Sydney turned away and refused to look at him. Standing motionless for five minutes, he turned to leave, respecting her privacy. As he took one step, she started to sob softly again. Walking across the room, he hugged her gently and turned her to look at him.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked softly, trying again.  
  
Sydney up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes that were now flowing freely.  
  
"In these few minutes that I've known her, your mother has been more of a mother to me than mine ever has...and look at all the pain that I've caused her..."  
  
Realization dawned upon Vaughn and he whispered to her fiercely,  
  
"Syd. You and your mother are two different people. You had nothing to do with what happened to my father and she knows that."  
  
Shaking her head, Sydney looked at Vaughn in wonderment.  
  
"How can you even like me? How can you even touch me?" She choked. "How can you even look at me without seeing my mother's face?"  
"You will never be your mother, Sydney."  
  
The tears had stopped flowing and Sydney suddenly realized how close they were standing, how tightly they held each other, how steady Vaughn's heart beat. The two of them, drew back awkwardly.  
  
"You should get some sleep..." Vaughn mumbled. "Good night."  
"Good night." Sydney answered as he closed the door behind him.  
  
When she heard his door close, she changed quickly and slipped into bed. She closed her eyes and as sleep was about to envelope her in its fuzzy embrace; her eyes flew open, her brain clear again, all sleepiness gone.  
  
She had not thought with her head, but with her heart, and her heart confirmed what she had dreaded feeling.  
  
She had experienced the feeling of want, of love, of wanting some thing she could not have. 


	14. Mindreader

Chap.14- Mindreader  
  
The sweet smell of homemade pancakes slowly made its way through all the rooms of the house. As the scent wafted into Vaughn's room, his stomach growled hungrily and he opened his eyes painfully, now aware of the strong rays that shone on the floor of his room.  
  
He lifted himself into a sitting position and stared at the full sun. Smiling, he realized that he hadn't slept so long or so well in a long time. Feeling the comfortable sheets and looking around the room of his childhood, memories of the past flooded into his mind.  
  
His stomach, growling once again, reminded of his constant hunger pains and he got out of bed to rush downstairs, only stopping slightly to grab a sweater from his luggage. As he set foot into the kitchen, Bridgette was handing Sydney the spatula and after kissing Michael on the cheek, took a wicker basket with a cloth over it from the counter and walked out the door.  
  
Vaughn sat down at the empty seat at the table and forked three pancakes from the stack onto his plate. He drizzled the syrup over the pancakes generously and placed a pat of butter on top, watching the butter melt in the heat of the pancakes and flow over the sides and onto the plate.  
  
Sydney, observing him from the stove, smiled at his boyish eagerness for his mother's pancakes. Walking over, she placed a new stack of steaming pancakes on the empty plate, and returned to the stove again, scraping the last of the batter from the bowl.  
  
After they all had finished eating, Sydney fended off Mark's eager fork and wrapped the last of the pancakes with foil for Bridgette before they got cold. Vaughn frowned. His mother had been gone for almost an hour and a half. Suddenly bolting up, Vaughn jogged to the front of the house and peeled back the curtain. True to her word, the car wasn't there.  
  
Worry and panic encased Vaughn's mind. He knew that he would never be able to forgive himself if something had happened to her because she was trying to take care of the car for him and he had blithely agreed.  
  
"She'll be back soon." A soft voice whispered from behind him.  
  
He turned around to find Sydney with the same worried expression on her face, the guilt eating her up inside. They looked toward the dining room where Mark, Ana, and James were talking happily, well rested, and unaware of anything that had happened in the early hours of the morning.  
  
Before Vaughn could answer her or Sydney offer another comment of reassurance, the back door swung open, and Bridgette walked in, her basket empty of its previous contents, but now filled to the brim with eggs.  
  
Sydney and Vaughn looked at each other in relief and went to help Bridgette transfer the eggs from the basket into the refrigerator. Bridgette, walking over to the sink to wash the dirt from under fingernails, thanked Mark graciously for saving her some pancakes, while he hung his head guiltily and eyed the pancakes hungrily.  
  
"What were you kids planning to do today?" Bridgette asked.  
  
They all shrugged.  
  
"What is there to do?" James asked, unable to think of any suggestions.  
"Well...the fences and the shed need to be painted before winter and the rain comes. Sydney, you can help me with the cooking and Michael, I need you to do some lifting for me." Bridgette said, directing Mark, James, and Ana to the paint and the brushes.  
  
Hours passed by and the sky was beginning to darken. Bridgette waved Mark, James, and Ana into the house hurriedly for dinner while Sydney and Vaughn set the table. The three trudged up the porch steps wearily.  
  
"How was painting?" Sydney asked them.  
"Ah...it was okay the first half mile or so..." Mark answered sarcastically.  
"It's worse than training..." Ana groaned.  
"Well...I wouldn't go that far." James answered.  
  
Bridgette smiled at the lively chatter and served heaping portions onto their plates. It quieted down quickly as the smell of food reached their noses and the plate was set in front of them. The "painters" wolfed down their food and after a few minutes of conversation, excused themselves from the table, answering the call of sleep.  
  
Vaughn, Sydney, and Bridgette were not even halfway through their plates and they sat silently, chewing, until Bridgette broke the silence.  
  
"How is Lauren?" She asked her tone edgy.  
"Fine." Vaughn answered, straying from the topic and the fact that Bridgette would never have any grandchildren.  
"And the new house?"  
"Good. You should come visit, Maman." Vaughn said.  
"No...I couldn't leave here." Bridgette said.  
"You really should come, Bridgette." Sydney added. "The neighborhood is amazing."  
"You've been to Michael's house?" Bridgette asked, questioningly.  
"No, no." Vaughn intercepted quickly. "Sydney and I are neighbors."  
  
Bridgette looked at her son, surprised.  
  
"What a coincidence..."  
  
Sydney and Vaughn nodded in agreement and Bridgette looked at her son in a way that Sydney could not decipher. Feeling as if she was intruding, Sydney quickly finished off what was left on her plate.  
  
"I'm going to head upstairs." Sydney announced. "Thank you for the dinner, Bridgette. Good-night."  
"Good-night, Sydney." Bridgette said and when she heard the water running, she looked at her son again. "Is that her?"  
  
Vaughn sighed, knowing what was on her mind. Nodding, he answered.  
  
"That's her."  
"Ms. Derevko's daughter?"  
"Yes."  
"Your colleague?"  
"Yes."  
"Your neighbor?"  
"Yes."  
"Your true love?"  
  
Vaughn's head jerked up and Bridgette looked intently at her son. He knew that she could read him well, but only she knew how well she could.  
  
"Yes." He answered steadily.  
  
Bridgette smiled, but her smiled disappeared quickly.  
  
"Be careful, Michael. You are a married man. I will not have my son sink to that low of a level..." she warned.  
"I know, Maman." Vaughn told her, dropping his fork onto the plate. "She is married too. And..."  
"And..." Bridgette prompted.  
"And I don't know if she still feels the same way."  
  
Vaughn shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was close with his mother, yes, but they had never had a discussion like this before. Bridgette nodded, knowing the complicated and delicate situation between Sydney and her son.  
  
"You need sleep." She said, noting his slumped shoulders.  
  
Vaughn nodded in agreement. Rinsing his plate quickly, he placed it in the dishwasher and gave his mom a quick kiss on her cheek.  
  
"Good-night, Maman."  
"Good night, Michael."  
  
After sitting at the table for a couple of minutes, Bridgette got out of her chair and began transferring all the leftovers into Tupperware to store in the refrigerator. Humming and unable to keep from smiling, Bridgette thought of the prospect of having Sydney as a daughter in law, but quickly erased the thought from her mind, admonishing herself and remembering that she already had a daughter in law.  
  
She had known about Sydney's connection with William's death for a long time, and she did have to admit that for a short period of time, she had felt incredible hate towards Sydney, seeing her as the offspring of an evil woman.  
  
But over the course of time, her emotions didn't override her common sense anymore and she could see that Sydney was an innocent and beautiful girl who did not choose to be Irina Derevko's daughter.  
  
In her heart, she felt that William and Irina's connection with each other, as bad as it was, was for a good reason. She smiled again, and picking up another wicker basket, she walked out towards the cool night air, closing the door gently behind her.  
  
'William,' she thought, looking up towards the stars and the heavens 'help our son be happy.' 


	15. Pointing Out the Obvious

Chap.15- Pointing Out the Obvious  
  
Two days had passed without Bridgette mentioning anything about Sydney to Vaughn. He was curious of her thoughts and feelings but hadn't brought anything up for his own benefit, feeling that it would be best not to create an unnecessary uncomfortable situation.  
  
Mark, Ana, and James had made good progress on the fence, although they weren't even halfway done. Each day, they walked out the door with paintbrushes and buckets of paint and returned back to the house for lunch, tired. By dinner time, they were exhausted and after managing to finish their food without falling asleep, the three would support each other up the stairs and fall into their beds.  
  
Their absence always left an uncomfortable void and silence between Bridgette, Vaughn, and Sydney during dinner time. Bridgette, not wanting Sydney to know about her newly gained knowledge, kept her mouth shut. Vaughn, worried about what his mother would say to Sydney, was silent, in fear that anything he said would provoke her. Sydney, feeling as if she was forever the intruder between Bridgette and Vaughn's mother-son time would finish her dinner as quickly as possible and excuse herself to her room.  
  
Bridgette and Vaughn sat in silence, toying with the food on their plates.  
  
"I won't say anything, Michael." Bridgette said suddenly.  
"I know." He answered and sighed in frustration.  
"Everything will be fine." Bridgette said, standing up and picking up their plates, heading to the sink.  
  
Vaughn watched his mother's back as she scrubbed at the plates.  
  
"How do you know?"  
"I don't." She said. Shaking water droplets from her hands, she untied her apron and tossed it over a chair. She stood with her hands on her hips and looked at him pointedly. "Nothing is certain, Michael."  
  
Ana was sprawled on the large bed while Mark and James had been forced onto the floor. They had become accustomed the painting work and had since preserved enough energy to lie like this together in one room, talking and joking with each other as if they were normal college friends.  
  
Ana flipped onto her stomach and leaned over the edge of the bed, observing Mark and James,  
  
"Hey." She said, trying to catch their attention.  
"Hey..." Mark said groggily, lifting his arm and dropping it lazily, almost falling asleep on the comfortable rug.  
"What's up?" James asked, propping himself up on his elbows.  
"Did you notice...like, something between Sydney and Michael?"  
"What do you mean?" James asked, confused.  
  
Ana thought, searching for better words.  
  
"Do you ever notice that Sydney and Michael...don't act normally around each other?"  
"Yea..." James answered, his mind clicking.  
"Well...duh." Mark said, butting into their conversation. He was now wide awake and he too, had flipped onto his stomach.  
"What do you mean, 'well...duh'?" Ana asked, irritated.  
"Don't you guys EVER listen?"  
"To what?" Ana and James asked in unison.  
"The secretaries..." Mark answered, rolling his eyes.  
"No, I'm sorry," Ana retorted. "We don't hit on them."  
"Ha. Ha." Mark laughed sarcastically, but suddenly smiled at his fond memories of the secretaries.  
"Go on!" Ana urged.  
"What have we said about interruptions before?" Mark asked, seriously.  
"Don't interrupt when Mark is experiencing a moment or he will lose his train of thought..." James recited obediently.  
"But..." Ana started.  
"Bup bup." Mark said, cutting her off. "Do you want to hear the story or not?"  
  
Ana closed her mouth and looked at him expectantly. After a few moments, she reached over and waved her hand over his face.  
  
"Well...?"  
"Shh..." Mark said, shushing her, his eyes closed in mock concentration.  
  
Ana groaned, sprawling over on her back and staring at the ceiling, telling herself to at least count to twenty until she could strangle him.  
  
"Go on," Ana repeated slowly through gritted teeth.  
  
James looked at her hardened face and looked at Mark, quickly catching his eye and motioning for him to cut it out.  
  
"Well..." Mark started. "It seems that Michael and Sydney had been going out and everything for a while and when things were getting serious, Sydney disappeared for two years, and thinking that she was dead, Michael married the Mrs. Vaughn we know today..."  
  
James openly expressed his shock while Ana glared at Michael.  
  
"Yea...I know that!" Ana said, irritatingly.  
"How?" Mark and James asked in unison.  
"Why is that such a shock?"  
"It's a classified case. Highly confidential and kept from all new personnel. The only secretaries that know about it would be the ones that were working there when it happened because there was an extensive search that lasted for months." Mark explained quickly.  
  
James frowned and looked at Mark strangely.  
  
"Whoa...back up. You're saying that you're hitting on the old secretaries?"  
  
Mark grinned widely and readjusted his collar.  
  
"I have a thing for older women..."  
  
James and Ana looked at him in disgust.  
  
"Ew...um...let's not go into that." Ana remarked. After a couple minutes of silence, Ana leaned over and punched Mark on the arm.  
"What the hell was that for?" He asked, rubbing his arm, insulted.  
"You lead me on that chase for THAT?"  
"Sorry."  
  
Ana looked at him thoughtfully and shook her head.  
  
"No. I don't think it's that. There's something else there...I can't pinpoint it though..."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I don't know. I just think that there's something else. I can't explain it."  
  
Mark rubbed the stubble forming on his chin.  
  
"Well...there WAS something else, now that I think of it."  
"What?" James asked.  
"I was talking to Michael's secretary one day when Kendall told me to get that file for him, and she saying something like she can't imagine how his wife takes it."  
"Takes what?"  
"Come on. You both know how much Michael works. It's not even funny how much paperwork that man can get done."  
"What's your point?"  
"The man never goes home before eight."  
"Does he even EAT?" James asked, incredulously.  
"What are you trying to say?" Ana asked Mark.  
  
Mark sighed.  
  
"I'm saying...that they obviously don't have a healthy relationship. I mean, how many years have they been married? I don't see any kids. He never takes a vacation or even a sick day."  
"Well you can't conclude anything off of that." James argued.  
"I know." Mark shrugged. "I know. Just pointing out the obvious..."  
  
Sydney walked out from her room, noting that Vaughn's door was closed and that the light was on. She walked down the hall and down the stairs. The living room and kitchen was empty and after poking her head quickly into the study, dining room, and family room, she could see that Bridgette was no where in sight.  
  
She opened a few cupboards and after finding the cups, took down a glass, filling it to the brim with water and after drinking that quickly, she refilled her glass again, trying to rid her mouth of the taste of her already digested dinner.  
  
"Saltine crackers were the life preservers through my pregnancy with Michael..." Bridgette said, handing Sydney a box of crackers and headed up the stairs. 


	16. Heart to Heart

Chap.16- Heart to Heart  
  
Sydney stared at Bridgette's retreating back wondering, questioning, how Bridgette could have possibly known. She felt that she didn't exhibit any signs while she was in Bridgette's presence and she knew and sincerely hoped that Vaughn didn't tell her.  
  
"Bridgette..."  
  
Bridgette turned to see Sydney's face expressing shock and confusion. Bridgette smiled and walked back into the kitchen. She took Sydney by the hand and led her to the living room, sitting her down on the couch.  
  
"No...Michael didn't tell me." Bridgette said, knowing what Sydney was thinking. "I hope know that he would not violate your privacy like that."  
  
Sydney nodded, now ashamed that she had even doubted Vaughn's integrity and his good will towards her.  
  
"It was wrong of me to assume..."  
"Not at all," Bridgette intercepted kindly. "It is human nature."  
"How did you know?"  
  
Bridgette smiled wisely and knowingly.  
  
"You cannot forget that I have a son myself and I can hear you in the bathroom at night."  
"I woke you up? Oh, I'm so sorry..." Sydney told her apologetically.  
  
Bridgette waved her off again and the two of them continued to chat easily almost as if they were old friends or mother and daughter, who had known each other all their lives.  
  
"Tell me really. How is Lauren?" Bridgette asked, straying off their former topic.  
"Honestly...I don't really know. I don't have the time to go and talk with her and I guess it would be awkward for Vaughn to come home and find myself and his wife talking about the featured recipe..."  
"I understand." Bridgette said, nodding. She paused. "I hope that you don't find me too forward but, do you find it an inconvenience that my son is your neighbor?"  
"Inconvenience...no. Amazing coincidence...yes."  
"It is a bit uncanny how the world works, isn't it?"  
"Yes..." Sydney answered, absentmindedly.  
"Everything happens for a reason, my dear."  
"Do you really believe that, Bridgette?"  
"I wouldn't tell you if I didn't."  
  
Bridgette started to get up from the couch, but Sydney caught Bridgette's hand and pushed her back onto the couch next to her. Bridgette looked questionly into Sydney's eyes.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Bridgette."  
"I'm not sure I understand, Sydney..."  
"My mother...she...she was the one that killed your husband...I..."  
"Sydney..."  
"I feel responsible for her actions. I can't bear to be in this house, knowing that...knowing that it was because of me that Vaughn didn't have his father when he needed him the most..."  
"Sydney." Bridgette cut in firmly, recognizing the look in Sydney's eyes as the one that she had seen earlier before in the week on the very first day they had met. "I know."  
"What?"  
"I know." She repeated. "I know...everything."  
"How?"  
"I'm sure that Michael has told you this numerous times, but it's not your fault. It's not your doing. Why should you be responsible for her actions? Why would you let her influence your life?" Bridgette answered, disregarding Sydney's question.  
"She's my mother."  
"Sydney, a mother isn't just the woman that gave birth to you. A mother has to be the woman that is there for you, that loves you, that would but your life before her own. Has your mother been all those things to you?"  
  
Sydney sat in silence, her jaw clenched, her body tense, and her fingers turning white, her nails digging crescent shaped indentations into her palms. The hatred for her mother was growing by the second.  
  
"No." She finally answered quietly and firmly.  
  
Bridgette looked intently at Sydney's tense body and gently, she reached over and unclenched Sydney's hands.  
  
"There is no reason to hate, Sydney. It is the past. No matter how much you despise your mother, it will not bring William back. It took me years and years to understand that time does go on."  
  
Bridgette leaned over and hugged Sydney tightly, brushing her long brown hair lovingly. The two sat together, staring at the painting mounted in front of them in silence. Each woman's brain was whirling with questions, inquiries, comments, and answers. Finally, Bridgette broke the silence with a small laugh.  
  
"What's so funny?" Sydney asked.  
"It's funny how you never call my son, Michael. You always call him Vaughn."  
"We do that at the agency..." Sydney started in explanation.  
"I know...but it's not that." Bridgette told her. "Vaughn...was my name for William when we first got married. But, when my parents found out, they thought it was inappropriate and we were forced to go back to William, although he did always say that he liked Vaughn better..."  
"What a coincidence..." Sydney remarked.  
"No." Bridgette answered firmly. "You being my son's neighbor...that is coincidence. Everything else, the way our families are linked together, how you met, your pasts....that is not."  
"What are you trying to say?" Sydney asked. She could hear the uncertainty in her own voice, her body shaking slightly, anticipating what Bridgette about to say.  
"I'm saying that it's destiny."  
  
Sydney looked away, her eyes closed in shock. It was happening too fast, the pieces were flying together too quickly, she couldn't keep up.  
  
"Bridgette...you don't understand. I'm happily married. Vaughn is happily married. It's different, this time. We're not just fighting against a set of rules or protocol. It involves people, it's not just us. We're committed, bound."  
"But tell me truthfully, Sydney, from your heart of hearts. Tell me that you don't have any feelings for my son at all?"  
  
Sydney took Bridgette's two hands in her own and spoke as earnestly and truthfully as her mind would let her heart.  
  
"I will always love Vaughn. He will always be my first love. He will always be on my mind. I will never stop wondering what it would be like to wake up next to him every morning. But I love my husband, Bridgette...and who's to say that even though I still have these feelings for Vaughn, that he'll have the same ones for me?"  
  
Bridgette was silent, staring down at the floor. She withdrew her hands from Sydney's grasp and held them together, as if in prayer, holding them to her mouth, thinking hard. Finally, after her moment of deliberation, she brought her hands down and clasped them together. She lifted her head and stared straight into Sydney's steady gaze. After mentally apologizing to Vaughn, she opened her mouth to speak.  
  
"You don't know how much anguish and pain that he has endured all these years, only to have you back in his life and not be able to have you...can you imagine how much that would hurt?"  
"I KNOW how much that hurts."  
"Then, can't you see how is marriage is falling apart? How their love is not mutual?"  
"That's not fair, Bridgette."  
"Why not? My son wouldn't even bring his wife to France for their honeymoon. Wouldn't he want her to see where he grew up? Where his roots are?"  
"No..."  
"Yes." Bridgette said firmly, taking Sydney by the shoulders. She lifted Sydney chin to make her meet her gaze. "He loves you, Sydney. You two are meant to be together. He told me so."  
"It's not possible."  
"Nothing is impossible, chére."  
"You're forgetting, Bridgette! You've forgotten that I'm pregnant with another man's child. Regardless of these feelings that we have for each other, regardless of our 'destinies'... reality is biting at our heels, constantly reminding us that we'll never get away from it."  
"Do not disregard destinies, Sydney."  
"Destiny has done nothing but hurt me."  
"Has Michael never told you about his father's watch?" Bridgette choked, desperate for Sydney to understand.  
"It's a coincidence..."  
"Before, I had thought that William had just told Michael that as a lesson of persistence. But Michael took his father's words seriously. He really set his heart on that watch and he had faith that his father was always right. I never really gave what he had said much thought until the day that the agency called and said that William wouldn't be coming home." Bridgette paused. "At the ceremony...Michael refused to hold my hand and it wasn't until we got home and I helped him take his coat off, that I discovered that he was holding the watch with both hands. The day that the watch stopped, he called me to tell me and I didn't believe him. I thought that there was no way there could be such a coincidence. But now, I see that William had been sincere. My eight-year-old son had more insight into the world than I did at that time...that was how adamant I was. I was just like you, Sydney. I wouldn't believe."  
  
Author's Note: Hey! I haven't written an author's note in a while...so how was it?? Lol. I cried. I know, ima dork. Thank you to Jayme for that AWESOMELY huge review and the idea of the 'heart to heart' between Bridgette and Sydney (hence the title). But anyways, tell me how that was okay? I have a good surprise for you guys that I'm planning to write in the next chapter maybe. So, I'm hoping that'll be up soon. I'll try to get it done during this week because I'm going down to L.A. for the weekend and I unfortunately don't have a laptop.  
  
Hehe. I've worked my way through the first two disks of Alias Season 1 and have four more disks to go...PLUS Alias Season 3 is starting REALLIE soon and Alias Season 2 is coming out in December!  
  
Whoa. 


	17. Safehouse

Author's note: Hey, I wanted to put this in at the beginning so that it won't interfere with the rest of the story since it'll be another week or so until I can get chapter 18 up. That sounds like such a long time...but not to worries! It'll be up ASAP! I promise! =).  
  
Thank you everyone, for the reviews. Hehe. They were funny. I love your rantings...its so great, especially Jayme and her essay...lol. You should read it. I swear you'll laugh, so go to the "reviews". Clickie clicke.  
  
Just for my benefit: when you get to the chickens (lol. You'll see), I promise there's a reason and I'm not just going crazy in the head.  
  
Anyhoo (heh.) here it is:  
  
Chap.17- Safe house  
  
Sydney sat on the couch silently, looking down at her hands, not knowing how to react to Bridgette's story. After five minutes of complete silence, Bridgette sighed inwardly, and stood up from the couch.  
  
"I'm not trying to impose anything on you, Sydney. I...I had to make sure that you knew..." She paused, and when Sydney didn't make a move to get up from the couch too, "Good-night."  
"Good-night," Sydney managed to answer quietly.  
  
An hour later, Sydney rose from the couch, slowly. She grimaced at the pain that shot through her foot and thigh. Turning off the lights, she quietly climbed the stairs and slipped into bed, the tears that she had been holding in throughout her conversation with Bridgette, slid down her face and onto the pillow, their saltiness somewhat reassuring Sydney that what Bridgette had said about Vaughn had not been a dream.  
  
Telling Sydney about Vaughn's feelings about her had done exactly the opposite of what Bridgette had hoped. The tension between them had been uncomfortable before, but now, it was unbearable. Sydney wouldn't spend more than five minutes in a room with him alone, maybe ten if there was someone else there. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she would find an excuse, leaving Vaughn highly suspicious of his mother.  
  
Mark, Ana, and James could sense the changed environment and even though they tried every technique to figure out what was going on, it was hopeless.  
  
"You know...it was really good having Michael on team this mission." Ana remarked suddenly as she bent down to dip her paint brush in the can.  
"You'll have to fight Sydney and Lauren for him..." Mark started to say jokingly, but then stopped mid-sentence, her glare silencing him.  
"But seriously," James said, piping up. "The mission was smoother."  
"And easier."  
"And....uh..." Mark trailed off, not able to think of anything else.  
  
Ana patted him, reassuringly on the shoulder.  
  
"It's okay, Mark. Don't think too hard. Remember what happened last time..."  
  
It was her turn to be silenced by his glare. She smiled at him sweetly.  
  
"But no, really, I wonder where we would be if he hadn't been here." Ana remarked, looking around the grassy fields and rolling estate.  
"Not painting miles and miles of fences?" Mark grumbled.  
"Or we could be dead." James added gravely, silencing Mark's grumbling.  
"You'll think he'll become a field agent again?" Ana asked.  
"No." James and Mark answered together.  
"How much you wanna bet?"  
"Ten dollars." James answered immediately.  
"What?! Ten dollars? No way." Mark answered, now unsure.  
"Fine...how much then?"  
"A penny."  
"A penny!" James asked in disbelief.  
"A penny. I like pennies. There's nothing wrong with pennies."  
"Yea, except...it's a penny..."  
"Fine, you cheapo. A penny." Ana agreed.  
  
The three shook with each other and resumed painting.  
  
"Very serious matter," Mark said quietly. "There are two cents at stake here..."  
"Whoa. Two cents?" James asked seriously.  
"I know, man. Two whole cents."  
"Dude..."  
"Will you two just shut up?" Ana snapped, adding another coat over her post.  
  
Mark and James leaned back to look and each other and grin, knowing that Ana was enjoying every minute of it.  
  
It was the last day that they would be able to enjoy the comforts of Bridgette's warm beds and generous hospitality. They would be leaving for the airport at twelve in the morning, having offered to pay the cabdriver extra for the hour and the long distance that he would have to drive to reach Bridgette's secluded home.  
  
Mark, Ana, and James, being determined the finish what they started and claiming to only have half a mile to go, trooped out at six in the morning with their paintbrushes and cans of paint.  
  
Bridgette, taking the opportunity of having help in the house, instructed Michael to the attic to lift all the boxes that she had labeled out to the garage, where her friend would pick them up to donate. Obediently, he left the kitchen table, leaving Sydney and Bridgette sitting alone, unspeaking.  
  
"I know you're probably mad at me, Sydney..."  
"No! No! I'm not mad." Sydney assured her. "I should thank you really."  
"Oh?"  
"You've answered the questions that I've been asking myself all these years and...I promise Bridgette, I'll try to believe."  
"I'm glad, Sydney. Now, I want you to make another promise to me."  
"What's that?"  
"I want you to promise me that this won't be the last time I see you."  
  
Sydney smiled.  
  
"That one's easier than my first one. Bridgette, you won't be able to keep me away."  
  
Bridgette smiled and patted Sydney's hand with her own. They rose together and carried the morning plates to the sink and as they washed the dishes together in a comfortable silence.  
  
After the last plate was dried and placed carefully into the cupboard, Bridgette dried her hands and looked around the house. There was nothing to do indoors.  
  
"What's next?" Sydney asked.  
"Well...it is a little early for this, but how would you like to help me tag the chickens?"  
"Tag the chickens?"  
"I'll show you." Bridgette said, taking off her apron and hanging it on the back of the chair, opening the door and heading out the back door. After they had walked for a while, Sydney could finally see a couple of chickens. As they walked closer and closer, she saw more and more that were roaming freely, twenty or so feet from a small wooden shack where she assumed they had their nests.  
  
Looking closer, she could see that some chickens had small tags on their legs while others didn't. Bridgette picked up a chicken and although it squawked and flapped its wings dangerously, she kept a firm grip upon it and quickly attached a small tag onto its leg.  
  
Sydney then, picked up a chicken near her and swiftly tagged it. Bridgette smiled at Sydney's quick learning and then turned her attention to a chicken strutting near her feet. They worked for twenty minutes, occasionally laughing when a chicken would escape from their grasp and beat their faces with its strong, feathered, wing.  
  
They were close to finishing, with a few stray chickens wandering around, their stomachs grumbling for lunch. As they were about to head in, a chicken seemed to swagger around Sydney's feet and nipped her suddenly.  
  
"Ow!" Sydney exclaimed, as she lifted her pant leg to see the red area that was beginning to form where the blood vessels had been broken, but the skin had not.  
"What's the matter?" Bridgette asked, turning around. She was far ahead of Sydney, trying to get to the kitchen before the others did so they would not have to wait for their lunches.  
"The chicken bit me!" Sydney told her in disbelief.  
  
Bridgette laughed.  
  
"Don't worry; we'll get her after lunch."  
"You go on ahead. I think I'm going to tag her now." Sydney said, following the chicken with her eyes.  
  
Bridgette followed her gaze and saw that the chicken was heading toward the small shack.  
  
"No, Sydney..." She started to say, but Sydney was already walking quickly. Bridgette started to walk after her. "Sydney..." she called, but Sydney was already too far away and too absorbed in her "revenge". Bridgette lifted her skirt quickened her pace.  
  
Sydney had crept up silently on the chicken that was strutting around, unaware, in the small shack. She bent down low and grabbed the chicken from below, quickly tagging its legs and releasing it outside the shack. She smiled at her success and then looked at her nails that were now black from the dirt. Frowning, she looked around for the source and moved the hay around with her shoe, seeing a thick layer of dirt. Her mind flashed back the morning when Bridgette had given her the task of making the pancakes. When she had come back, she had a basket full of eggs and dirt under her fingernails an hour and a half later.  
  
Turning around, she saw that it would be impossible for Bridgette to take an hour and a half to collect the eggs in this small shack. There would be no reason for Bridgette's hands to scrape the ground unless she had dropped an egg, but the egg would be broken and the remains would still be present. She spotted a rake in the corner of the shack and raked at the floor quickly.  
  
She bent down and brushed some dirt away from something in the middle of the shack. Sydney traced her finger along the ridge and observed its size, concluding that it was a panel of some kind, perhaps for storage. She felt guilty for intruding in Bridgette's privacy, but her curiosity won the best of her and she dug her fingernails under the panel lifting it up.  
  
Sydney gasped. Stairs led down into a dark hole where she couldn't see the bottom. She felt around underneath and floorboards and found a small flashlight. The beam of light, guided her down as she carefully took each step. The wooden stairs seemed rickety and she held out her hand to steady herself on the dirt wall beside her. When she reached the bottom, she swung her flashlight around and saw a small door on her right side.  
  
Cautiously, she walked towards the door and pushed it open. The door, led to a long cemented hallway and after walking the length of it, she came upon another door. Sydney felt solid door and tried the knob. It was unlocked.  
  
Mentally and physically preparing herself for what could be behind the door, she swung it open and walked into a lush and lavishly decorated room. The room didn't contain any electricity and a fire was burning steadily and brightly, casting an eerie glow around the red room. Before Sydney could explore any further, she could hear footsteps coming from the hallway and another set of soft, padded footsteps from behind a door in the room.  
  
Panicking, she dove behind a chair and checked around her to be sure that she was safely concealed in all directions. A soft voice rang out cautiously,  
  
"Hello? Is anybody there?"  
  
Sydney peeked from around the chair and she could see Bridgette knock the open door quickly.  
  
"It's me."  
"I heard somebody come in and they didn't identify themselves." the voice whispered quickly until Bridgette cut him off quickly.  
"Shh..."  
  
Sydney closed her eyes, holding her breath in as she heart Bridgette's footsteps nearing her.  
  
"Sydney..." Bridgette pleaded, when she saw the terror in her eyes.  
"Who are you?" Sydney asked her muscles tensed, ready to attack.  
"Bridgette Vaughn." She whispered so that only Sydney could hear.  
"No. Bridgette Vaughn lives in France on a farm. She has a son named Michael. Bridgette Vaughn doesn't have a room underneath her chicken shack." Sydney hissed back.  
"Sydney, please. Let me explain."  
  
Sydney scrambled up from her position and was face to face with the person that the voice belonged to.  
  
"Sydney, I need you to believe me. That was your promise to me."  
"I..."  
"Sydney...please..."  
  
Sydney nodded quickly.  
  
"Okay. Okay. Tell me. I believe you."  
"This is a CIA safe house, Sydney."  
"What?"  
"It's true. It's been in operation two years after William's death. They pay me, monthly, and it keeps the farm running. But that wasn't the reason why I wanted this deal with the CIA. It wasn't about the money at all. Money was the last thing on my mind."  
"Then, why?"  
"Information, Sydney. Isn't that what all these agencies are about? Information. I wanted to know who killed my husband. So I went to Langley, and I begged and pleaded for months until they finally agreed on this situation. That's how I knew about you and your mother. That's why I know everything."  
"Does Vaughn know about this?"  
"No! I have kept it from him all these years. It kept him safe."  
"You can't expect me to keep a secret like this from him."  
"You have to, Sydney."  
"I can't keep anymore secrets. You have to understand that."  
"Sydney..."  
"Either you tell him, or I do. I'm sorry, but...he deserves to know. He's not ten years old anymore!"  
  
Sydney stepped back.  
  
"We should go." Bridgette said to Sydney. Sydney nodded and let herself be led out of the room, shutting the door behind her, climbed the stairs, put the flashlight back in place, and shut the trapdoor, redistributing the hay and dirt around naturally.  
"I need to tell him myself." Bridgette said to Sydney as neared the house.  
  
Sydney nodded in agreement and turned to the woman reassuringly.  
  
"I won't say anything." 


	18. Dismissed

Chap.18- Dismissed  
  
Vaughn pounded his fist angrily against the door handle of the taxicab, startling the driver and causing him to swerve before gaining control again.  
  
"Je suis désolé," Vaughn apologized and the cabbie shrugged keeping his eyes fixed on the road, his ears straining for any tidbit of conversation he could reach in explanation for this man's behavior. But the entire cab was silent.  
  
Sydney looked over at Vaughn, worriedly. When she, Mark, James, and Ana were upstairs packing, Bridgette had called Vaughn to the study. With Vaughn acting like he was now, she didn't have to second-guess herself to know what she had told him.  
  
Two hours later, the cabbie pulled into the airport and pocketed the large transportation fee happily, wishing them a safe trip and driving off. They boarded the jet and hours later, arrived at Logan Airport again, changing to the private plane that flew off in the direction of Los Angeles.  
  
Vaughn and Sydney sat next to each other in silence while Mark, James, and Ana were in a separate section, playing poker and using lemon and lime wedges as chips. It was hard not to notice Vaughn's anger and it was even harder to refrain from asking him.  
  
An hour had passed and Vaughn and Sydney were still sitting in complete silence, staring straight ahead at the fold away tray of the seat in front of them.  
  
"Sydney..." Vaughn suddenly said quietly. "I know that you know."  
"Your mother told you, didn't she?" Sydney asked.  
"Yea," Vaughn said, nodding.  
"Why are you mad at her?"  
"She kept it from me for all of these years..." Vaughn answered, shaking his head in disbelief. "You wouldn't understand..."  
  
Sydney let out a short bark of laughter that contained no humor.  
  
"Vaughn. Think hard. I am the queen of having secrets kept from me by my parents."  
  
Vaughn smiled in remembrance.  
  
"How could I forget?"  
"I don't know... But what I do know is that your mother kept it from you so that you would be safe...so that you would have a choice in life and not have to get caught up in this spy crap when you were little. She wanted to do what was best for you and you can't judge her. It's not fair, Vaughn."  
  
He sighed.  
  
"I know, Syd. I'm more worried than mad...more scared then anything, actually."  
"She can take care of herself, Vaughn. You said so yourself." Sydney said, yawning. The whole day's events had caught up to her and her eyelids were weighing heavily.  
"Tired?" Vaughn asked, yawning himself.  
"Yea," Sydney laughed and she leaned to her left to rest her head on his shoulder, allowing her eyelids to close completely.  
"Me too," Vaughn replied quietly and let his head fall to the right to rest upon Sydney's.  
  
"How cute...," Ana murmured, as she observed Sydney and Vaughn. She looked back at James' and Mark's expectant faces and put down her hand of cards triumphantly, raking all the wedges in the middle of the table toward her. "Royal flush."  
"Damn!" Mark exclaimed. "That was my last lime."  
  
Four hours later, the small plane taxied into its terminal and the five of them hurriedly grabbed their bags and walked swiftly out of the airport. Vaughn immediately spotted the black, government-issued car and directed the others to it.  
  
When the last car door was slammed shut, the driver quickly started the ignition and drove towards the Ops center where, they were told, Kendall and Jack were waiting to speak to them.  
  
Half an hour later, the five agents were escorted to the conference room where Kendall and Jack were already seated and waiting for their arrival. Kendall pursed his lips and nodded absentmindedly.  
  
"I'm glad your mission was a success. We received your photos of the tattoo and it's under analyzation currently, although there has been no advance in the code breaking so the trip to Venezuela will be necessary and moved up since we have been informed that Robespierre is looking for the young woman that we've already identified. It would be best to be a step ahead of him. I will inform you of your departure time." Kendall finished and looked at Jack, indicating him to begin.  
"Our allies in France informed us of your arrival at their safe house in Normandy and we received no verification of your arrival in Rome, nor any contact from the safe house itself. You personally did not inform us of your whereabouts or your safety. We had no idea where five of our agents were for the past week!"  
"We had been compromised, dad." Sydney began. "We had just entered the border to Italy and just as planned we saw a black car following us. Vaughn pulled over to the side of the road after three miles and the driver then signaled the address to us. When he got out of the car to check the brakes and the engine, he went to the front of the car instead of the back."  
"Most engines are in the front..." Kendall remarked dryly.  
"It was a beetle, Mr. Kendall." Vaughn intercepted with a dryness to match Kendall's own.  
"I recognized the driver as a man from the Robespierre's party and he shot at us. Vaughn shot back and the man died from a gunshot wound to the heart. Then, we got out and we found our original contact in the trunk with severe multiple head injuries, broken limbs, fingernails pulled back. After burying our contact and disposing of the other man's body, Vaughn drove back into France and to the only place that he knew to go." Sydney continued, ignoring Kendall's remark.  
"You should have contacted us. We could have informed you of a nearby safe house instead of putting the life of another agent that was currently residing at the safe house at risk!"  
"It was a deserted road. I wasn't thinking straight...I didn't know where else to go." Vaughn replied  
"As a field agent you always have to be on guard, always second-guess yourself." Kendall roared. "You're damn right you weren't thinking!"  
"If it weren't for Vaughn, the four of us wouldn't be here right now. I'm tired, Mr. Kendall. Good-bye." Sydney said shortly. She got up to leave but then walked back to where Kendall was sitting and pulled out a file from her backpack that contained the pictures she had taken of the contact and the man that had shot at them. Slapping the file onto the table, she turned on her heel and left.  
"Dismissed," Jack said to Mark, Ana, James, and Vaughn who were still sitting at the table.  
  
The three junior agents rose from their seats and left the room. When Vaughn was about to leave after them, Kendall called him back into the room.  
  
"Agent Vaughn, our French allies have also informed of your awareness of your mother's association with the agency. Is that true?"  
"Yes."  
"You'll need to stop by Gerard before you leave for security clearance."  
"She's my mother! I don't agree with her association in the first place!"  
"It's just routine, Agent Vaughn." Jack intercepted.  
"Dismissed," Kendall repeated and Vaughn grabbed his suitcase and walked out the door furiously almost running into Sydney.  
  
"Syd!" He exclaimed in surprise as he stopped short.  
"Vaughn."  
"I thought you were leaving."  
"I was...but I just left my suitcase in the conference room, so..."  
"Oh..."  
"You probably have to get home to Lauren, right?"  
"Lauren? Oh, uh...yea." Vaughn replied, his mind clearing.  
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then...or maybe even in the backyard."  
  
Hey you guys! So sorry for the long wait, I've just been so caught up with homework and stuff and ughh! Math...i hate math....  
  
But anyways, how was chapter 18? I know it was pretty short, but I wanted to get a chapter up quickly. I'll probably be able to get one up on the weekend or maybe even tomorrow so keep those reviews comin'!  
  
Heh. 


	19. Coming Home To You

Author's Note: Hey! Thanks for the reviews, they were perty funny. I have so much fun reading them. But anyways, can I say "I told you so" or "I told you so"? I said that I would get chapter 19 up soon and oh! Look...here it is.....wow.....  
  
Oh, and I just wanted to say that yes of course, criticism is openly welcome, it's just that I'm so paranoid with my grammatical errors now, lol. DON'T FREAK OUT, JAYME. It's just how I am because I just should have known "then" and "than". Blah blah blah.  
  
Well....i think things are moving along pretty well.  
  
ALIAS STARTS THIS SUNDAY! WHOO! Oh, you guys want to hear a story? Yes? Good. Here it goes:  
  
Ok, well I was in AP World History today and that class is cool cuz it's pretty small and everybody's really close and everything so the first thing I said when I walked into the room was "WHO'S GOING TO WATCH ALIAS THIS SUNDAY?" and the girl that sits next to me screams "ME!!!" and I'm all proud of her and this other girl is being a poo and says that she's never seen the show which insults me....but anyways, so I'm talking to the girl who IS going to watch Alias this Sunday and she's talking about how cute Sark is while I'm just stressing on Vaughn and his freakin' beautiful eyes. So then, because I feel like it, I turn around and ask the guy sitting behind me: "Are YOU going to watch Alias?" And you know what he says that just makes me so happy?  
  
"Sunday, 9 o'clock, ABC."  
  
Heh.  
  
I'll take that as a yes.  
  
Chap.19- Coming Home To You  
  
Three hours later, Vaughn pulled into his garage and walked into the house barefooted. The wood beneath his foot was smooth and cooling, relaxing the muscles.  
  
"Michael?" Lauren called out from the direction of the bedroom.  
"Yea..." He tiredly answered her.  
  
She ran out to him and kissed him, noting his tired face and forlorn expression.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
He nodded and after refusing dinner, he walked to the direction of the bedroom and dropped the suitcase in the closet to unpack later and fell onto the bed. His muscles seemed to thank him for allowing them to do what he had wanted to do all day, sleep. But even as he slept, his mind would drift in and out of consciousness, remembering the weight of Sydney's head on his shoulder and the feeling of her smooth hair on his cheek. Tidbits of Vaughn's two hour conversation of Gerard's endless questioning floated in and out of the conversation between him and his mother.  
  
"Michael..." a soft voice said. A hand touched his shoulder and shook him softly. "Michael..." the voice repeated.  
  
Groggily, he opened his eyes. Blond hair and blue eyes swam into view. As the image focused, he came to realize that it was Lauren.  
  
"Yea?" He asked, his tongue wetting his cracked lips.  
"Why don't you change? You'll sleep better."  
  
Slowly, he forced himself up from the bed where his body had already made a mold into the mattress. Shivering slightly at the sudden temperature change, he placed his palm where his body had been and felt the warm spot, wishing to lie back down again. But he stood up and walked to the bathroom, changing, brushing his teeth and falling back into the bed. The mold and the heat were gone, but he didn't care. As they had gone away together, they would come back together too.  
  
Sydney had arrived home hours earlier than Vaughn. As soon as Kendall and Jack had left the conference room, she had snuck back in and gotten her suitcase. Packing up as quickly as she could to avoid seeing Kendall before she left, she had driven home at the same speed. Scott had still been at the hospital, but she had left a message on his beeper asking him to pick up dinner on the way home since she was too tired to cook and, no, he could not barbecue, although judging from the contents in the trashcan, she was suspicious that he had.  
  
She plopped onto the couch and after flipping through the first half of the television channels; she turned it off and walked upstairs to her room. Looking around the house for something to do, and not finding any, she walked back downstairs to her car to retrieve her once-again forgotten suitcase to unpack. Sitting down on the carpet of the upstairs master bedroom, she started to pull articles of clothing out of the bag. Large, but strangely familiar t-shirts fell out, followed by socks, athletic shorts, and pants. Frowning, she dumped the whole suitcase over and when pairs of boxers fell to the ground, she sighed in frustration at the coincidental occurrences that kept happening between herself and Vaughn.  
  
She started to pack everything away slowly, and neatly until she suddenly became embarrassed handling his boxers. Quickly, she stuffed everything into the suitcase. After a few tugs and pushes, the suitcase looked as it once had. Satisfied, Sydney zipped the suitcase shut and leaned it against the doorway.  
  
It was then when she realized that the ring finger of her left hand was still bare. Walking quickly downstairs, she dug through the contents of her purse and backpack without any success in finding them. She felt the pockets of her jacket and the pants she had worn. Climbing the stairs again, she walked back to her room and felt around Vaughn's suitcase, wondering if he would be in the same situation as her. Her fingers felt a cool, circlet of gold and she stared at it as she took it out, weighing it on her palm.  
  
A small voice deep within her urged her to throw it out the window. With your strength, the voice said, they'll never be able to find it. But she shook her head and closed her fingers tightly over the ring, and eventually sliding it back into the suitcase when it had been warmed by her body heat. Opening her hand again, she saw the deep ridge and outline that the ring had created. A mold and heat. They always go together.  
  
The garage door beneath the master bedroom groaned shut and the floor shook slightly under Sydney's feat. Using the luggage as support, she stood and winced at the pain in her knees caused by bending for such a long time. She had just descended down the stairs when Scott walked into the entry room and enveloped her in a tight embrace. Sydney rested her head against his chest and listened to the familiar beat of the steady heart, remembering vividly her tears with Vaughn in France.  
  
"I missed you, Sydney." Scott murmured into her hair and kissed the top of her head.  
"I missed you too."  
"How was your trip?" He asked, leading her by the hand to the kitchen table where he had set the multiple containers of take-out.  
"Good...mmm...Italian. Thank you, honey." Sydney responded, opening the containers and setting them around the table.  
"No problem."  
"How's the hospital?" Sydney asked, sitting down and cutting her chicken into bite-sized pieces.  
"Busy...as usual. It amazes me the different ways people can get hurt."  
"Like how?" Sydney asked, curiously and eagerly. She had always enjoyed hearing about Scott's work, since she couldn't talk about her own.  
  
Scott smiled and spent the rest of dinner narrating the day's events and patients to Sydney. This was why he looked forward to coming home everyday. It's the person you come home to.  
  
Jack had given Sydney, Vaughn, Mark, Ana, and James two days off work mostly as an apology. Later that day, in which the conference had taken place, Jack had received word of the mass murder of the inhabitants of the safe house and the ally that had run it as well as his family. More innocent people had died. Yes, they had died with valor and for their country, but a life was a life. No matter how they had lost it, they were still dead, and there was nothing anybody could do to bring them back.  
  
Soon, without the conscious realization of any of them, forty-eight hours had passed. Grumbling, Vaughn rolled out of bed and shuffled toward the direction of the bathroom. He splashed water on his face and wiping his face dry, he stared into his reflection. He hadn't changed much physically in the past seven years, but as he looked hard, he could sense his own emotional weariness and dread.  
  
Sydney had decided to walk the last mile as a cool down after her jog in the park. She had gotten an earlier start today, after being woken up from her sleep by a wave of nausea. She had looked up from the toilet bowl to the clock and decided to get a run in earlier instead of another half hour of sleep.  
  
When she was at the second to the last stop sign, she could see her house, its form breaking the denseness of the gloomy, gray, fog that was so common in the early mornings. She started in a slow jog and gradually started to build up speed, eventually breaking in a fast-paced run. Sydney had started to walk up the stairs to her front door when she looked over to the house next to theirs and saw the front door opening.  
  
Her heart skipped a beat and her mind whirled in confusion, not knowing whether or not to hope to see Vaughn or Lauren step out of the door. 


	20. Questioning

Chap.20- Questioning  
  
Vaughn gently closed the door behind him and turned to set off in the direction of the park when he saw a slim, lithe figure standing in the doorway of his neighbor's house, jiggling the lock. Curiously, he leaned forward.  
  
"Syd?" He called out.  
  
Sydney turned to look at him and adopted a mock look of surprise upon her face.  
  
"Vaughn!"  
"Did you just get back from a run?" he asked her, starting to stretch in his driveway.  
"Yea...I see that you're heading off."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"I like it at this hour. There's hardly anybody at the park."  
"Yea...um...I don't know if you've noticed already, but I looked at the suitcase that I took and I think it's yours..."  
"Oh...yea, I've been meaning to return it to you." Vaughn responded. He blushed in embarrassment. Earlier this morning, when Lauren had been sleeping, he had unzipped the suitcase and overturned everything into the laundry hamper. When he looked into the hamper and saw that the clothes were obviously not his, he had hurriedly packed the bras, panties, and all the other contents back into the suitcase before Lauren woke up. "Hold on a second." He said to her and entered the house again. After a few minutes, he came back out and held out the engagement ring and wedding band to Sydney.  
  
Sydney looked at the two gold rings in his palm and took them from him carefully, trying to ignore the heat and electricity that shot through her fingers and toward every nerve, fiber, and muscle of her body.  
  
"I can go get yours. It's upstairs..." Sydney said, pointing vaguely in the direction of the master bedroom.  
  
Vaughn shook his head and waved her off.  
  
"It's okay. Don't wake up your husband. I'll get your suitcase to you before work in the parking lot."  
"Thanks."  
"No problem."  
"Enjoy your run." Sydney said, and Vaughn was off, waving to her as he left.  
  
She waved back even though his back was turned to her already. Sydney let her arm drop limply to her side. Feeling the weight of the rings in her enclosed palm, she opened her hand. They glittered and sparkled in the sun that had peaked over the horizon, emitting tiny rainbows and each sparkle seemed to wink at her in response. Smiling, she slipped them on and headed upstairs to change. Work was waiting for her.  
  
True to his word, Sydney and Vaughn exchanged suitcases in the parking lot at eight in the morning. They usually arrived at the same time and parked in the same section and with the exception of today, they also usually avoided each other until they were forced to talk in the conference rooms or wherever.  
  
Avoiding each other wasn't something they did out of contempt, hate, or even in their conscious minds. But instinct and their subconscious had told them to act like this to avoid anymore problems and association that they already had with each other.  
  
But today, it was all different. Maybe it was the fact that they each felt that there were bigger problems than theirs out in the world, or maybe it was the fact that they had developed a deeper bond and connection through sorrow and tears in France. Whatever the reason, they both felt as if something had changed. A feeling of peace had settled itself in both their hearts and had assumed the form acceptation.  
  
Although they had both told each other and themselves that everything between them was alright, it really hadn't been until now. Sydney had let go of the fact that Vaughn had moved on when he assumed that she was dead, and Vaughn had to accept the fact that because of his choices, he had lost the woman whom his mother had called his soul mate.  
  
"After you," Vaughn said, gesturing to the elevator whose doors were sliding open.  
"Thanks." Sydney said, walking into the elevator and leaning against the metal handles, her arm automatically reaching out to push the button. "How was your run?" she asked, continuing their conversation from this morning.  
"Good."  
"That's good..."  
  
Silence encased the elevator and it stopped, its doors sliding open to allow somebody else to enter the elevator. Vaughn almost sighed in relief, the air felt heavy and the silence that encased the elevator felt suffocating.  
  
But there was nobody standing there.  
  
After three more levels, the elevator was finally there and they both stepped out, separating. Sydney went left, Vaughn went right. In their minds, they both knew, when time came for the meeting, they would join together at that same hall, and would walk to the same conference room together.  
  
Sydney arrived at her desk and sorted through the papers that were waiting to be completed. Three post-it notes were stuck to her computer screen informing her of a mandatory appointment with Gerard at two-thirty, a conference with Kendall and her father at four and a good-morning note from Mark just because he was bored. She smiled and unstuck all three messages, crumpling them up and tossing them into the trashcan.  
  
At exactly 2:25, Gerard's secretary called Sydney and reminded her of the appointment. Grudgingly, she stood up and buttoned the buttons of her suit jacket and walked toward the elevator. Gerard was a man who was always on time and lived his life by the exact seconds of the clock. When the clock struck at exactly two-thirty, she was allowed into his office and seated on the uncomfortable chair in front of his desk.  
  
"Sydney Bristow-Voyer?" Gerard asked, looking from the file to her and back again at the file, his large glasses slipping slightly down the bridge of his nose. Pushing them up, he studied her file quietly for a minute or two. Leaning back into his heavily cushioned chair, he folded his fingers together and looked at her seriously.  
"Yes?"  
"Do you know why you were called into my office today?"  
"No."  
"Have you ever heard of the name Bridgette Delorme-Vaughn?"  
"Yes."  
"Who is she and what is her relation to you?"  
"She is the mother of Agent Vaughn and I don't have any relation to her."  
"Oh...but I think you do."  
"And what would that be?" Sydney asked her voice flat and she had started to snap, an indication that she was annoyed.  
"Well, I mean...your mother killed her husband who is Agent Vaughn's father. I think that is a pretty well defined relation..."  
"Mr. Gerard," Sydney snapped. "I know that you know perfectly well who Mrs. Vaughn is and her relation to me as you have so kindly verbalized and demonstrated. No, I do not know why I've been called in here, so why don't you just cut the crap and stop wasting my time. I have better things to do than to sit in this chair and listen to you lecture me."  
  
Gerard looked at Sydney in surprise, his gray busy eyebrows raised. Clearing his throat, he assumed his normal facial expression again and slowly withdrew an appointment book from within the depths of his desk drawer.  
  
"Perhaps this isn't a good time for you. Would you like to schedule another time?"  
"No, I want to get this over with."  
  
Nodding, he closed the appointment book and slid it back into his desk. Leaning back into his chair once again and assuming his original posture, he continued with his slow, languid questioning.  
  
"Now, once again, who is Bridgette Delorme-Vaughn and what is her relation to you?"  
  
Sydney clenched her jaw tightly and through gritted teeth she repeated word for word what she had said before.  
  
"She is the mother of Agent Vaughn and I don't have any relation to her."  
  
Gerard took out the pen from his shirt pocket and made a comment in his notes.  
  
"Where does Bridgette Delorme-Vaughn live?"  
"France."  
"Where in France?" Gerard prodded.  
"Normandy."  
"Could you find your way back?"  
"No. I only knew of the location from my meeting with my father and Kendall. As I can probably suspect where we're going with this conversation, it was an unplanned move and Agent Vaughn drove the whole way while Agents Jamison, Lee, Chaplin, and I slept most of the way there. Even when we were awake, the area was too unfamiliar and it was too dark to tell where we were."  
  
An hour and a half later, Gerard had finally made his way down to the last question on the list and when Sydney had answered that, she quickly got up and headed directly for the conference room. She walked as quickly as she could and was one of the first to arrive. Mark, Ana, and James were already there, chattering and shouting in disbelief at how slow Gerard talked and his pointless questions.  
  
"I see you've met Gerard." Sydney commented as she sat down in her seat.  
"Yea," James answered.  
"Oh, she looks pale. It's like she hasn't been in the sun for long periods of time. Did you suffer the untimely fate of Gerard, too?" Mark asked.  
  
Sydney smiled and was about to answer when Vaughn walked into the conference room.  
  
"I heard you four were called into Gerard's room." He said, smiling.  
"That's not funny," Anna replied. "You had time to recover."  
"Enough," Kendall said, cutting into their conversation rudely. "We're starting."  
  
Mark opened his mouth to imitate Kendall, but Sydney sent him a sharp look, silencing him and saving him from any trouble he would have gotten himself into. When she looked back towards the front of the room, Jack had just entered the room with Marshall trailing close behind.  
  
"We've received no notice from our analysts, which means there is no breakthrough in the code breaking." Kendall started; while an enlarged picture of the man's back covered with code appeared on the large screen behind him. "I'm sending you five to Venezuela in a week or so. The sooner the better...Jack..."  
"You're mission's actually been made a lot easier." Jack started. The screen picture then flashed from the picture of the tattoo to the young woman they had previously seen and the picture then changed again to that of a young man. "The man you see on the screen right now is a contact that is a native to Venezuela and resides there year round. He is very active in the safe house in Venezuela and he helps us out as much as he can. You have him to thank."  
"What do you mean?" James asked.  
"Before, your mission was to befriend Mariana Veltri and to gain her trust so that she would reveal how to decipher the code and the location of the nuke. Our team has decided that that would take too long, so they contacted this young man here. He did that work for you in the time span of two to three weeks. She hasn't told him anything yet, but he has informed us that he has indefinitely gained her trust."  
  
Sydney frowned and shifted in her seat. The whole thing sounded wrong and immoral to her.  
  
"So what are we supposed to do? Why can't he just get the code and send it to us?"  
"There's too much risk of it being intercepted." Kendall answered. "We want to get the code and go to the nuke straight away; maybe even so that nobody will suspect that we even know about the nuke at all."  
"You're afraid of Robespierre, aren't you?"  
"Not afraid, Ms. Lee," Kendall answered, annoyed. "Cautious. He is our number one concern right now. With as much wealth and private property and power that he's accumulated and has been spread throughout the world, he has eyes everywhere. We can't be too careful."  
  
Fifteen minutes later, they were released from the conference room. During the meeting, Sydney had started to crave a large slice of fluffy chocolate cake with chocolate chips, topped off with fudge icing and chocolate shavings.  
  
"Sydney, you want to go get some coffee?" Ana asked, her bag slung over her shoulder.  
"Coffee? No...But I'm up for some chocolate cake with chocolate chips, topped off with fudge icing and chocolate shavings."  
  
Ana laughed.  
  
"You sound like you've wanted that for a long time. Sure, I know this great little bakery....so good...."  
  
The two of them left and walked into the parking lot and in the direction of their cars. Sydney looked at the beat-up car that Ana was heading towards.  
  
"Hey, you want to take my car? I can drop you off after."  
  
Ana smiled and looked over at Sydney's shiny new car that sat, gleaming, under the dim yellow lights of the parking lot.  
  
"Yea, I think that'd be a good idea."  
  
She walked over to Sydney's car and opened the front door and without looking, went to sit, bumping the suitcase that was standing on the leather chair and knocking it over to the driver's seat just as Sydney opened her door.  
  
"It's fine." Sydney said, waving off Ana's apologies and grasped the suitcase by the handle and put it in the backseat and then walking back to the front to start the car and put her seat belt on.  
"You haven't even unpacked or even taken your suitcase out of the car?" Ana asked in disbelief, her mind wandering to the two day vacation they had been given.  
"I got it mixed up with Vaughn's suitcase."  
"Oh, mixed up?"  
"Yes! We each took the wrong one."  
"Is that what they call it these days?"  
"They're both black, same size, it's easy to get them confused."  
"Okay...uh huh....sure....whatever you say." 


	21. Help

Chap.21- Help  
  
Sydney sighed as she turned off and then turned on the television for the fifth time since she had gotten home. Her mind wandered back to the conversation with Ana and her not-so-sly implication that she knew that there was still something between Sydney and Vaughn. She sighed loudly again, thinking about the last thing Ana had said to her before driving off in her own battered car.  
  
"You know, Sydney...for spies, you two aren't very slick at all...are you?"  
  
Sydney had sat in the parking lot, open-mouthed for ten minutes, her mind trying to process fully the full meaning of Ana's statement. The whole way home, she had wondered if Ana was the only one who had made this observation or if the whole office was still gossiping about herself and Vaughn, despite the months that had passed.  
  
"Sydney!" Scott called from the garage. She whirled around from her position on the couch to stare at the garage door and then at the clock hanging from the wall above the television. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon. "Come help!" He called again when she didn't answer him.  
"Oh...okay..." Sydney called back and got up from the couch. Opening the door, she saw Scott trying to open the door while juggling a large bouquet of red roses and carton after carton of take-out. "Scott? What's all this?"  
  
Scott looked at her, surprised, but then walked past her to put everything on the kitchen table. He gave her the bouquet with its crackling plastic outer layer and with his arm around her waist, guided her to the calendar, pointing to the date with his finger.  
  
Sydney saw the date and after a moment, a look of registration appeared on her face and she kissed him.  
  
"You remember now?" He asked her, their foreheads leaned against each other.  
  
Sydney nodded, unable to keep a tear of happiness from escaping her eyes.  
  
"It's the day we met...you remembered."  
"Of course I remember, Sydney. It was the best day of my life."  
  
Sydney laughed.  
  
"Shouldn't it be the opposite? You know, with me remembering and preparing this huge dinner and then you come home late and forgot, making me all mad at you?"  
"Yea, that's how it usually goes." Scott said, nodding in agreement. "But we're not very normal people, are we?"  
"No, we're not...come to think of it, it's only two o'clock! How'd you get off work at the hospital? You always tell me that the afternoon is the busiest time in the pediatric wing."  
"Oh...I just got somebody to cover for me."  
"How nice of them..."  
"Well, let's just say that she owes me a very big favor."  
  
336 hours had passed. Sydney, Vaughn, Ana, James, and Mark had been to countless meetings, countless debriefs, countless bomb disengagement reviews, countless nuclear disengagement reviews, and if they were each given ten dollars for every time a mandatory appointment with Gerard showed up on their schedules, they would each be able to buy an hour's worth of psychiatric help to undo everything that Gerard had "fixed".  
  
"Excuse my interruption, Mr. Vaughn, but your presence is requested in the conference room in ten minutes."  
"Thank you."  
  
The secretary nodded and headed off in the other direction of the office building to inform the other agents.  
  
Ten minutes later, Kendall and Jack were already in the conference room, waiting for the five agents to join them. When they had all arrived and were seated, Kendall passed each agent a leather bound folder. Each folder contained passports, birth certificates, social security numbers, driver's licenses, and plane tickets, all under new aliases.  
  
"The plan is as we had discussed the previous times. Again, you are to leave straight for the location of the nuke once you have attained it. Any questions?" Kendall asked. Their silence answered his question. "Marshall."  
"Ok, well I kind of had to use my brain...a lot harder on this one because, well...we don't exactly know what kind of nuke it's going to be, right? Am I right?" Marshall asked, looking around. The five agents smiled and nodded in agreement. "Ok, so what I've devised is actually a pretty nifty looking thing. It looks like a regular palm pilot," Marshall said, pointing to his newest creation. "But...it's not. I actually got this idea from this thing were you can search an inventory of alcoholic drinks and see what their ingredients are and their measurements and everything....but I don't drink....it gives me hives and apparently I can get REALLY wasted on like, one shot, which is pretty sad if you ask me..."  
"Marshall...continue, please."  
"Sorry...but anyways, as I was saying you actually just point the camera that is located on the back of this contraption to the nuke and take a picture. Once it takes the picture, it will scan through the inventory of all the nukes that the CIA has encountered that I've downloaded onto its memory chip in less than 10 seconds. Yes, I know...amazing. After it has made a match, complete, and detailed instructions will appear on the screen telling you what screws to unscrew, what wires to cut...anything and everything. It's all here."  
"Wow..." James said, whistling and leaning back into his chair.  
"I know." Marshall said and sat back down in his chair.  
  
Jack looked around the room.  
  
"Any questions?" He asked. Their silence answered him.  
"Good. You leave in three hours." Kendall said, getting up from his chair and leaving the conference room with Marshall close behind him, trying to keep up in order to ask for Kendall's approval for future projects and creations while trying to keep the wires that were hanging out of his briefcase from tangling up more than they already were.  
  
The five of them started to file out of the room and when they were out into the open hall, Jack called Sydney to him, leading her into his office and shutting the door behind her.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sydney asked, seeing Jack's nervous face. Her heart skipped a beat, wondering what might have happened to make him react like this. She then sighed with relief when his face broke into a wide grin, but then became confused again, trying to think back to a time when he was this happy.  
"Nothing's wrong, honey. I know."  
"Know...what?"  
"That you're pregnant."  
  
Sydney looked at him in shock.  
  
"Dad...how did you find out?"  
"Scott told me."  
  
"What?"  
"Yea...he called me and told me. He said that you wanted to tell me yourself, but you were busy doing something."  
"When?"  
"Last night...around ten?"  
"I was asleep. I had no idea that he called you."  
"It doesn't matter how I found out, Sydney. What matters is that I know now and I'm pulling you off this mission."  
"There's nobody else."  
"I've already found a replacement, a transfer who's just ended her term in Italy. I've already had her documents made..."  
"No! I want to do this!"  
"Sydney, it's not safe."  
"It never was safe, Dad. It never will be. You know that."  
"I have two of you to protect now. It's not just about yourself anymore, Sydney."  
  
Sydney looked at her father pleadingly.  
  
"Dad...you don't know how much I appreciate everything that you've done for over these past years. Langley, Vaughn, Sloane ...Mom. But I need you to let me do this. I know Robespierre's style. I know his people."  
"Sydney..."  
"It's probably going to be my last mission this year...maybe forever....I need to do this right. I need to do this myself. Will you let me have that?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"Okay...but I'm on the other end of that comm. link." 


	22. Sigh

Chap.22- Sigh  
  
Vaughn had hurriedly kissed Lauren goodbye and had backed out of the driveway. He was preparing to turn out into the main street when he saw Sydney waving him down. Slowing to a complete stop, he rolled down his window.  
  
"Hey." Sydney said, bending down so that they were at eye level.  
"Hey." He answered her.  
"Are you going to the office right now?"  
"Yea."  
"Can you give me a lift?"  
"Sure." He answered, not questioning her reason and opening the trunk for her to put her suitcase in. Vaughn heard the trunk slam shut and Sydney walked around to the passenger side and buckled in.  
"Thanks."  
"No problem."  
  
They had only traveled for five minutes when Vaughn reached out to turn on the radio, desperate for any sound in the car. He looked over to his right at Sydney and she was staring straight ahead, her body still and unmoving except for the breaths she took. Inhale. Exhale. Vaughn reached back out again and turned off the radio.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked her, the concern reflecting in his voice.  
  
Sydney shook her head and the silence dominated again until she suddenly spoke.  
  
"My dad knows."  
"Knows..." Vaughn trailed off.  
"That I'm pregnant."  
"What? He's not pulling you off the mission?" Vaughn asked, incredulous. He knew that Jack would do anything possible to protect his daughter. Anything.  
"I begged him not to."  
  
Vaughn sighed in exasperation and he turned his attention from the road to Sydney again.  
  
"Sydney! Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn?"  
"You have no right to lecture me, Vaughn."  
"I'm not lecturing you. I'm telling you the truth!"  
"I don't need you to tell me anything! Did you hear that Vaughn? I don't need you. I don't need you to lecture me. I don't need to you to help me in anyway. I don't need you to protect me."  
"What the hell! I didn't say that you did. I never said any of that! Dammit, Sydney. You don't listen to anybody! You don't think! Did you ever think about what your dad would do if you told him you were pregnant? Did you ever think that what you told him would put the lives of everybody on this team in jeopardy? He wouldn't care who he would have to sacrifice to save your life."  
"I didn't tell him." Sydney said fiercely.  
"What? Syd, if you're thinking that I told him, I'm telling you right now that I didn't."  
"I know you didn't, Vaughn." Sydney said, her tone softening. "Scott did."  
"Maybe your husband should think about what he's saying and who he is saying it do before he says anything." Vaughn snapped his anger and irritation flaring.  
"That is not fair! He doesn't know the consequences! Scott has nothing to do with this!"  
"He has EVERYTHING to do with this."  
  
Sydney looked at Vaughn with narrowed eyes.  
  
"What the hell are you trying to say?"  
"Nothing."  
"No, tell me Vaughn! What are you implying? Are you saying that it's wrong that Scott would want Jack to know that he's going to be a grandfather? What if Lauren was pregnant? You wouldn't keep it from Bridgette!"  
"Don't bring my mother into this, Sydney. That is completely different."  
"Your mother is part of this agency too!"  
"Her status and your father's are different on so many levels."  
"Just answer me, Vaughn. If Lauren was pregnant would you keep it from your mother?"  
"No, Sydney. I wouldn't keep it from her. But the situation is different. And I will never have to tell her, so it doesn't matter." Vaughn said firmly, as he pulled into the parking spot and set the brake. He pressed the button to open the trunk and got out of the car.  
  
Sydney got out after him and slammed the door shut. She grabbed her suitcase that he had set down on the cold, concrete floor of the underground parking lot.  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked softly, careful to not let her voice echo. Their eyes met and she held his gaze. "What do you mean?" she repeated.  
"Lauren can't have children." He said and shut the trunk. He turned on his heel and left her standing next to the shiny black car.  
  
Ana looked from Sydney to Vaughn and then back to Sydney again, the confused expression upon her face mirroring her thoughts. She looked over at Mark and James who were absorbed in a computer game. They both looked up and shrugged, turning their attention back to the game, despite Ana's protests. She tapped Sydney on the shoulder.  
  
"What happened?" she asked.  
"We had a fight."  
"You and Vaughn?"  
"Not just me and Vaughn. Me and my husband, too."  
"Was it bad?" Ana asked, wincing herself as she asked the question.  
"Very."  
  
A crackling noise came over the intercom and the pilot's voice filled the cabin.  
  
"We're approximately fifteen minutes away from our destination. If you'll please shut off any electronic equipment, return the seats in their full upright position, and buckle up, we will start to descend."  
  
Mark and James glumly shut off the laptop and buckled into their seats like two petulant little boys.  
  
Sydney sighed as she looked over across the cabin at Vaughn, who was sitting next to Mark and James. She had sighed because she remembered what had happened the last time they were on this plane together.  
  
Author's Note: Hey! I know I know. It was a pretty short chapter and it also took me forever to get up, I'm sorry! I'm just really confused right now with how I'm going to write everything out without it being too long or too short.  
  
It's Sunday, which means, Alias! Whoo....EXCEPT that we viewers will be introduced to Mrs. Vaughn. Grrr....it almost doesn't make me want to watch it. Key Word: ALMOST....but not really.  
  
You know what was really cool? I actually talked to a reader on AIM, like forever ago, but still. Anyways, the person told me that they had a blackout in Australia when Alias was on and it was after the one when Francie dies, so I told her that I would give her the spoilers for that episode: "CIA Agent Jim Lennox is in bed with his partner, Emma Wallace. She tells  
  
him that she'd like to go back to Fiji. He agrees and they kiss. When he  
  
goes into the shower, she frantically types an email: "Abort operation.  
  
Lennox is a ." Lennox hits her before she completes the message. Sloane,  
  
whom Lennox has called to say he'd been compromised, tells him to make it  
  
public. Wallace, strapped with C-4, is thrown from a van onto a Berlin street. In L.A., Vaughn tells Syd that Marshall and Dixon are being debriefed and  
  
Sloane is now on Interpol's most wanted list. He also tells her that he  
  
broke up with Alice. Weiss introduces Christine Phillips, a new  
  
clandestine services grad from Langley who will observe for the next few  
  
months. They all watch as Wallace appears on the news singing "Pop Goes  
  
the Weasel." The agents watch in horror as Lennox remotely detonates the C-  
  
4, killing Wallace. Shortly thereafter Kendall briefs the staff, saying that Wallace's mission  
  
had been to gain the trust of Dr. Enzo Markovic, a scientist developing a  
  
technology known as Helix, to determine if it was a weapon. Enzo was  
  
believed to have gone to a secret lab in the Serena del Sol Resort in Cayo  
  
Cancho, off the Dominican Republic. Lennox is believed to be held there or  
  
dead. Sydney and Vaughn's mission is to acquire intelligence and bring  
  
Lennox back home. Vaughn picks up Syd at her apartment. They kiss and she introduces him to  
  
Francie, who thinks they're going to a finance conference in New York. Syd  
  
gets a strange vibe from her. At the resort, they force Enzo's security chief to reveal Lennox's  
  
location. Syd interrupts Lennox's torture and beats his two inquisitors.  
  
His eyes were affected so she blindfolds him and leads him away while  
  
Vaughn acquires the Helix files. When Syd is attacked by a guard, Lennox  
  
removes the bandage, risking his eyesight, to shoot him. Back home, the  
  
CIA gives Lennox a clean bill of health Under questioning, Lennox explains that while he and Wallace were working  
  
for Enzo as freelance security experts, the discovered that he was working  
  
for someone else. Lennox was going to hack the database in Cayo and  
  
transmit the data to Wallace in Berlin, but he was caught before that  
  
could happen. Sydney is shaken when he also reveals that he and Wallace were engaged. Phillips analyzes the tape of Wallace's death and, due to static on the  
  
tape, determines that the detonator was within a block of the explosion.A  
  
sympathetic Syd visits the grieving Lennox at a safe house. He kisses her, vbut quickly apologizes.Two men appear and accost Lennox. He beats them but  
  
then Syd subdues him because the men are government agents who want to  
  
take Lennox into federal custody. At the CIA, Jack reports that Helix is a new gene therapy that can reshape  
  
a patient's face and body. The only way to determine an actual identity is  
  
through an ocular scan - this flaw was purposely built into the procedure.  
  
Lennox, he says, was the first test subject to be doubled, meaning Lennox  
  
may actually be Enzo. Vaughn then places Lennox at the scene of Wallace's  
  
murder. Syd is dubious, believing Lennox's grief to be authentic. Lennox's scan checks out okay, and he's shocked when Syd tells him he's  
  
been doubled. They learn that Enzo brought Helix to Poland. Syd and Lennox  
  
are to find it, download the schematics and destroy it. At a railroad depot, they disable the guards and break into the freight car  
  
where the technology is hidden. Lennox reads data and learns that another  
  
person has been doubled. Vaughn receives a frantic call from a man  
  
claiming to be Lennox, who says the man the CIA rescued is really Enzo.  
  
This Lennox says the ocular scan is merely disinformation and that he's  
  
approaching the freight car and will destroy the technology. Vaughn notifies Syd of the predicament. Jack tells her to disarm both men  
  
and they'll figure out the mess once they're both in custody. She makes  
  
Lennox handcuff himself to the freight car. When she leaves, he breaks his  
  
hand in order to slip through the cuff and picks up a gun. Syd confronts the second Lennox, but the first one appears. They're in a  
  
standoff. Syd threatens to detonate Helix. The second Lennox reacts and  
  
tries to shoot Sydney. The first - and real - Lennox shoots and kills the  
  
phony. Sydney destroys Helix. At the CIA, Lennox prepares to go to Fiji - he's never been there; he and  
  
Emma were going to go on their honeymoon. Later on in Syd's apartment, she  
  
and Vaughn fall into bed. But they're being observed through a camera  
  
secretly installed in the television. Francie watches - she's the other double." Taken From: 


	23. Relations

Chap.23- Relations  
  
"Welcome to Venezuela." Their young contact greeted in fluent English. They thanked him and he directed them towards the white van parked near the front entrance of the airport, all the while asking them the typical questions and inquiries that any normal person would after greeting somebody from a long flight. How was your flight? Was the food good? Did you get any rest?  
  
But since they weren't normal people, each question held a different meaning than it did for passing civilians who happened to hear their conversation. The young man nodded in satisfaction of their "yes" and "no"s. Yes, they had obtained and destroyed the code. Yes, they were to fly straight to the location of the nuke. No, they had not seen any of Robespierre's men on the flight.  
  
Once they were safely in the car and had been pulled into the general flow of traffic, the contact who had introduced himself as Peter turned to look at Vaughn who was sitting in the passenger seat.  
  
"Have you seen Mariana Veltri before?"  
"We've been shown pictures. Nothing more than that."  
  
Peter nodded. He started to recite a long series of numbers and then turned to look at them again at a red light.  
  
"Does that sound familiar?"  
  
Sydney nodded.  
  
"It's close to a DNA sequence that the CIA has found of numerous Rambaldi artifacts."  
"Where did you get that sequencing?" Vaughn asked, suspicious.  
"One day, when Mariana was sleeping, I swabbed the rim of her glass and sent it to Langley for sequencing. Those are the results. A couple days ago, I received an anonymous phone call. It took me hours to decipher."  
"What was the message?" Sydney asked.  
"'It's Rambaldi's.'"  
"Are you saying that Mariana Veltri is related to Rambaldi?" Vaughn scoffed at the absurdity of Peter's claim.  
"Yes."  
"That's impossible. He had no wife, no relations." Sydney reasoned.  
"But that doesn't mean he couldn't father a child sometime in his life. The scientists at Langley have compared the DNA sequencing and have determined that although it is close to Rambaldi's she is distant relation. They also traced back her family history. Every single child that was produced was a female, furthering and losing the Rambaldi name every generation."  
  
Silence encased the entirety of the car.  
  
"Mariana's the last one...isn't she?" Sydney asked softly.  
"Yes," Peter nodded.  
"So she wasn't sold into slavery? She wasn't sent here in fear of her life?" Ana asked.  
"That she was." Peter confirmed. "But the whole thing has been planned out for hundreds of years."  
"Why her?" Sydney asked. "You said there are a whole line of Rambaldi women. Why her?" She repeated.  
"It's her destiny, I suppose."  
  
He turned onto a smaller street and finally pulled to a stop in front of medium-sized, urban home. Unbuckling, he opened the door for them and headed to the back to get out their suitcases. After they had all gotten out of the car and had taken their own suitcase, he told them what he had told Mariana.  
  
Mark looked at him in disbelief.  
  
"We...make jam?"  
  
Peter nodded.  
  
"I've been selling grapes for a living these past few months because Mariana frequents the open-air markets. I already swept the entire house for bugs this morning, so you're able to talk freely. I told her that you needed a place to stay for four days. It should be enough time. On the fourth day, I've already arranged for a cab to take you to the airport. Whether you have obtained the location or not, you are to leave. I will eventually get the location to them, but it will slow us down considerably and maybe Robespierre will even intercept it." He looked at the steady faces of the five agents. "You ready?"  
"Ready." They said quietly and followed him up the stairs and to the front door of the house. He reached out to ring the doorbell and the familiar tone rang throughout the whole of it.  
  
"Peter!" Mariana exclaimed and enveloped him in a warm embrace, kissing him on the cheek. "Are these your business associates?"  
"Yes."  
"Come in," she invited and shut the door behind them. "I hope you're hungry. I've heard how bad the food is on airplanes."  
  
Two days had passed rapidly and Sydney looked out the window of the bedroom she and Ana was sharing in wonder. To her, the sun seemed to rise and to set in Venezuela faster than in any part of the world that she had been in.  
  
"What are you looking at?" A voice behind her asked softly.  
"The world."  
"How does it look?"  
"It depends who's looking." Sydney replied and turned to look at the face of the voice. "Mariana, you have a brilliant mind and I know that you know."  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Carla." Mariana said, walking over to the window and staring at out of it herself.  
"You know that my name isn't Carla and that I don't make jam. You know that Peter doesn't sell grapes! You know who he really is, don't you?"  
  
Mariana closed her eyes and nodded.  
  
"Peter was a good friend to me and all these years that I've lived here, I don't know a lot of people my age that I can relate to. I guess I suspected something from the beginning, but I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want him to walk out of my life. When we started living together, it was amazing at first. The two of us would do the craziest things together and it was fun. But then the 'wrong numbers' got more frequent...and I checked up on him. It turned out that he worked for the United States Central Intelligence Agency. I didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. But I was so hurt. It turned out that everything was a lie." Mariana laughed and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I don't know why I'm telling you this."  
"I can tell that your relationship with each other extends beyond friendship." Sydney said. "I know that what you feel for Peter is mutual. He doesn't know what to do. He's a junior officer. He's new and the CIA has him bound and obligated to their service."  
"Why are you telling me this?"  
"I've already talked to Peter. We came up with a plan." Sydney told her and explained it to her.  
"You want me to run away from the U.S. government?"  
"Not just you, Peter too. Look, they know that the DNA Peter sent them is yours. They will come for you, Mariana."  
"This is crazy." Mariana told Sydney fiercely. "How do I know that I can trust you?"  
"You don't. But you're going to have to. Do you want to spend the rest of your life being tested and prodded in government custody?"  
"This is crazy." Mariana repeated.  
"But you and Peter do crazy things together. You said so yourself."  
  
Mariana continued to shake her head, trying to block out what Sydney was saying.  
  
"No...No....I can't..."  
"Listen to me! Listen!" Sydney said pleadingly. "If you don't trust me, then trust Peter."  
"I can't. I don't know if I can..."  
"Believe, Mariana. Believe."  
"In what?"  
"A future for yourself..."  
  
Mariana held Sydney's gaze steadily.  
  
"Okay...what do I need to do?"  
  
Sydney walked to her suitcase and extracted the code that had been transferred onto three pages of computer paper. She handed the papers and a pen to Mariana who took them hesitantly.  
  
"I need you to decipher this for me."  
  
Mariana walked over to the small desk stand and for forty-five minutes, Sydney watched as Mariana's hand scribbled furiously. Finally, she stood up, wincing at the pain in her lower back, and handed Sydney the papers.  
  
"It's in Lithuania." She said as she turned back to the window, looking out at the dusky sky.  
"How does it look?" Sydney asked joining her.  
  
Mariana turned her head to look at Sydney and smiled.  
  
"Promising."  
  
Author's Note: Hi hi. Yes, I know that chapter 22 was VERY short and I've decided to compensate with another....medium-length chapter. I would have liked it to be so long that you're like  
  
'whew...that was a loooong chapter.'  
  
But it's not. Sorry. =( 


	24. Where the Sidewalk Ends

Chap.24- Where the Sidewalk Ends  
  
By the time the plane had landed in Lithuania, Vaughn had received a message from the Ops center telling them the exact location of the nuclear bomb. Night had already fallen and they ducked into a dark alley. After changing and tossing their bags into the nearby bushes, they headed off in the direction of the nuke.  
  
They stood on a sidewalk in a distance, surveying the large building they were about to break into. The shortest way was through the field but the sprinklers were on and there was always the potential danger of underground alarm systems. Mark pointed out a side entrance and the five of them nodded to each other and walked towards it.  
  
Ana swiftly shot two guards with tranquilizers. James took their guns and felt in their pockets for keys. He tossed them to Mark who gently eased open the heavy steel door. On guard, the five of them walked quietly into the building and Sydney turned on her comm. link.  
  
"Home base, this is Mountaineer. Do you copy?"  
"Copy that, Mountaineer. This is home base."  
"We are in the building. I repeat. We are in the building."  
"Copy, head fifty paces south, and ten northeast."  
  
She repeated the directions to the rest of the team and their swift pace soon broke into an easy jog. They arrived at the door and after a few moments of hesitation, Sydney reached out and turned the knob. The door was unlocked. Steeling herself, she slowly pushed open the door and walked into the room.  
  
"Are you sure this is the right room?" Ana asked quietly.  
"Fifty paces south and ten northeast." Sydney repeated.  
  
The room wasn't anything like either of them had imagined or suspected it to be. Instead of a cold warehouse floor, it was furnished with plush carpet. A large redwood desk with a sleek computer sat in the middle with an empty leather chair behind it. The heavy curtains of the large window were pulled back and James walked to the window to look outside.  
  
"The view is amazing in here." He commented.  
  
Vaughn walked over to the desk and pulled open desk drawers that contained the usual office supplies and, after picking the lock of the biggest drawer, important official documents. He looked along the walls to see impressive documents and noticed the gold plated pen that commemorated fifteen years of service.  
  
"It looks like the executive office."  
  
Sydney nodded in agreement and frowned at a small knob behind the sofa. With Mark's help, they pushed the couch out of the way and Sydney pulled on the small knob. The door wouldn't budge. Gritting her teeth, she dug her fingernails under the small space that did give and pulled hard.  
  
The door flew open and something heavy fell towards Sydney, who instinctively held her arms out to catch it. She then gasped and closed her eyes when she realized what she was holding. Gently, she lowered it to the carpet.  
  
It was a young woman who couldn't have been older than twenty-two. There was so sign of any physical injury that may have caused her death, but she was.  
  
"Mountaineer, this is Home base. I repeat this is Home base. Do you copy?"  
"Copy, home base. This is Mountaineer." Sydney replied, her voice still shaky.  
"Get out of there, Mountaineer! Do you read me?"  
"Yes."  
  
Sydney watched as Mark, Ana, James, and Vaughn carefully lifted the body back into the coat closet and pushed the couch against it. Her eyes became unfocused and the pattern on the carpet ran into each other.  
  
"Syd, Syd! We have to go, come on!" Vaughn urged.  
  
Unawares, Vaughn lifted her to her feet and pulled her along with him until they were safely out of the building and was back at the same sidewalk they had started on. More slowly, the five of them trudged back to the dark alley, the bright moonlight illuminating their figures, throwing their shadows onto the street.  
  
None of them had gotten any sleep on the plane and when they arrived at the Ops center, Mark was practically sleep walking. They were ushered into the conference room and after taking their places at the table, Kendall and Jack walked into the room, locking the door behind them.  
  
"We received your Intel about the body hidden in the office and we sent a team to extract it." Jack said. "Our scientists finished the DNA sequencing just a few moments ago and it has been confirmed that that body is Mariana Veltri."  
"It's not the same person I talked to a couple of days ago." Sydney whispered.  
"That is true. She was also not the same person whose picture our contact sent us." Kendall said.  
"Are you saying he's a double agent?" James asked.  
"That's exactly what I'm saying."  
  
Kendall turned to Jack who reached for the remote control. Turning off the lights and turning on the projector, he flipped to a candid picture of Peter walking in the cobbled streets of an unknown place.  
  
"His real name is Pitor and he was born in Moscow, Russia."  
"Is he KGB?" Vaughn asked.  
"No. Not K-Directorate either."  
"So who does he work for?" Sydney asked.  
"We don't know."  
  
Goosebumps emerged on Sydney's arms. How do you fight against something you know nothing about?  
  
Kendall signaled to Jack again who changed the picture to a long series of numbers.  
  
"Are these familiar to you?" He asked the five agents.  
"Yes." James answered for all of them. "He recited us to those in the car and told us that Mariana Veltri is Rambaldi's last relative and heir."  
"He wasn't lying. Mariana was the last." Jack said. "The line is dead."  
  
Silence encased the large room as everybody paused in a daze of disbelief.  
  
"What do we do now?" Sydney asked quietly, breaking the eerie silence.  
"We find the nuke." Kendall answered. He changed the picture again and it changed to one of the code. "Whoever the person that was posing as Mariana broke the code using the real way for the first two lines. After that, it was altered to mislead you to go to Lithuania."  
"Why would they do that?" Ana asked, confused. "Why didn't she just use the fake code for the whole thing?"  
"She was ordered too, most likely. The reason is apparently unknown. But the important thing is that our analysts used the pattern of the first two lines and figured out the pattern and have broken the entire code."  
"Where's the real nuke?"  
"Bosnia-Herzegovina," Jack answered. "As we suspected."  
  
Kendall and Jack looked around the room at the faces of the five agents sitting before them. Woefully, Mark asked tentatively,  
  
"When do we leave?"  
"You won't be leaving for a while. We might even bring in another team. It's not for certain though. But I do know that we need time to find out the details. You will be informed. Dismissed."  
  
Mark, James, Ana, Sydney, and Vaughn filed out of the conference room and walked to their desks to retrieve their bags so they could head home. Vaughn arrived at the elevator first Sydney joined him when he was reaching out to push the "down" button. The door slid open and they walked into the elevator together, facing forward with both hands clutching their suitcases as the door slid shut again.  
  
"Going home?" Vaughn asked.  
  
Sydney nodded.  
  
"I'm tired."  
"Well, you should get some rest."  
"No...Not tired physically...more emotionally, I guess."  
  
Vaughn looked at her, frowning.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Sydney sighed.  
  
"I am so tired of being deceived. I'm so tired of being double- crossed. I'm tired of seeing the worst of people. And...I'm just so so tired of being lied to." 


	25. Visitation

Chap.25- Visitation  
  
The week was pulling to a close and it seemed as if Sydney, Vaughn, Ana, James, and Mark could all breathe a sigh of relief. They had all tensed up when they heard Kendall or Jack's footsteps behind them, mentally went over the contents of their already-packed bags whenever a meeting was called, and dreaded reading the small screen of the beeper whenever it went off.  
  
But for once, Kendall had kept his word.  
  
"Any plans for the weekend?" Jack asked his daughter as he walked her to her car.  
"Not really...you?" She asked as she buckled herself in and started the engine  
"No. We should have dinner sometime." He said, gently shutting the car door for her.  
  
Sydney smiled as she rolled down the window.  
  
"I'd like that, Dad. Call me, okay? It'll just be the two of us...father and daughter."  
"I will." Jack said and watched as Sydney backed out of the parking space.  
"I'll see you on Monday." She called out and drove out of the garage.  
  
He stood watching for a few moments until the tail of the black car disappeared completely out of his sight.  
  
Sydney had just finished putting away all the groceries she had picked up on the way home and had just picked up the phone to call Scott when the chime of the doorbell rang throughout the house.  
  
Placing the phone back into its cradle, she walked quickly to the front door and pulled back the side curtain to check who it was before she unlocked and opened the mahogany door.  
  
"Hi, Lauren." Sydney greeted.  
"Hi, Sydney! I'm so sorry to bother you!"  
"No...No. It's fine. Would you like to come in?"  
"Oh, okay. Thanks."  
  
Lauren stepped into the house and looked around while Sydney closed and locked the door again.  
  
"Would you like something to drink?" Sydney asked, as it was her turn to play hostess. She directed Lauren to the living room and they both sank into the overstuffed couch.  
"Oh, no thank you. I'm fine."  
"So how is everything?" Sydney asked, attempting at conversation.  
"Great! This neighborhood is amazing."  
"Yes...it is." Sydney agreed. "Are you sure you don't want anything to drink?" she asked, for lack of anything else to say.  
"I'm sure."  
"Okay."  
"Anyways, Michael and I are having a dinner party this Sunday at 6:30 and we really hope that you and husband can join us."  
"I don't think that we have any plans....are you sure your husband is okay with this?"  
"Of course he is! Why wouldn't he be? He actually was the one that reminded me of the barbecue." Lauren added. "Sydney, you have to let me repay you. Please?"  
"Okay..."  
"Great!" Lauren said, standing up quickly from the couch. "Remember, 6:30."  
"6:30. Got it."  
"Well, Michael should be getting home soon. I should go."  
  
Sydney nodded and walked Lauren to the door.  
  
"I'll see you Sunday."  
  
Saturday came and went and at 6:45, she and Scott were dressed and ready to go. On the way out, Sydney grabbed a bottle of wine from the shelf, as Lauren had insisted that they not bring anything else.  
  
As they walked down the driveway and a few steps to the right, Sydney could see that Eric and his family had already arrived. Scott reached out to ring the doorbell and Eric opened the door for them.  
  
"Hey, Syd!" He greeted.  
"Weiss!" Sydney exclaimed, surprised, and reached forward to give him a hug. "I haven't seen you in a while. What have you been up to?"  
"No good." He laughed.  
"Eric, this is my husband Scott. Scott, this is Eric." Sydney introduced.  
  
They shook hands and Eric shut the door behind them. He motioned for the two of them to follow him and he led them into the kitchen where his wife, Lauren, and son were sitting.  
  
"Sydney! I'm so glad you came!" Lauren exclaimed and took the bottle of wine offered to her.  
"Thank you for inviting us." Scott replied with a slight smile.  
  
Eric motioned Sydney and Scott over to the kitchen table.  
  
"You remember Lisa and Jake from the barbecue?"  
  
Sydney cheeks colored a little in remembrance of the barbecue and the mix- up with Lisa, Jake, and Vaughn's involvement.  
  
"Of course I do." Sydney smiled warmly. "Hi."  
"Hi!" Jake shouted.  
  
The adults laughed and it was then when Sydney looked around with a frown.  
  
"Where's Vaughn?" She asked Eric.  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"Probably in the bedroom somewhere being the anti-socialist that he is."  
  
Sydney smiled. Lauren then disappeared into the bedroom for a couple of minutes and she emerged with two people following behind her. Lauren motioned to Sydney and Scott and they walked to them.  
  
Lauren moved aside and Sydney's eyes widened in recognition, but she kept her surprise in check.  
  
"Sydney, Scott. I would like you to meet my mother-in-law."  
  
Sydney walked forward and held out her hand.  
  
"It's so nice to meet you, Mrs. Vaughn."  
"Bridgette, please." Bridgette said, just as she had when they had first met in France.  
"It's nice to meet you, Bridgette." Scott said politely and held out his own hand.  
  
Bridgette shook his hand briefly and nodded.  
  
"Well, I don't know about everybody else, but I'm going to start eating!" she declared.  
  
Eric clapped.  
  
"That's my kind of woman!" He exclaimed and she laughed loudly in response.  
  
They all moved to take a seat at the large kitchen table while Lauren moved to the stove to dish out all the plates. Sydney and Vaughn held back.  
  
"She came." Sydney stated.  
"Yes she did. She finally left that farm."  
"I guess the 'farm' isn't in operation right now?" Sydney asked, emphasizing that she had replaced 'safe house' with 'farm'.  
"No. But merchants can buy crops from other farms nearby."  
  
Sydney nodded.  
  
"Hey guys! No time for chit chat! The food is getting cold!" Eric shouted.  
  
Vaughn let out a breath of exasperation and Sydney laughed. They both walked over to the kitchen table and sat in the remaining empty seats, each next to their spouses.  
  
Author's Note: Teeheehee. I hope you guys are happy! I wasn't really planning on bringing Bridgette back but since everybody seemed to like her I was like "Why not?" and I wrote her in and the next chapter will have good Bridgette/Sydney moments.  
  
I also want the next chapter to be a tear-jerker and well...I'm going to try and make it as long as I can.  
  
Chapter 26 will be special. I think it's going to be up around Tuesday night, maybe.  
  
Why?!?!  
  
BECAUSE...It's my birthday on Wednesday (October 15th) and I'm weird. I guess I want to give myself a birthday present by....uh....writing a present???  
  
Ok. I'm just going to stop.  
  
Hey, these author notes are really fun! Whoever came up with the idea of having author's notes and stuff should pat themselves on the back! Or I'll pat your back for you. There you go. ::pat pat::  
  
Hehe. That's funny. Some people's names are Pat.  
  
OR! It could also be an animal. Like "Pat" the dog.  
  
Teeheehee.  
  
Okay. I'm going to let you go now. I don't usually tell people to review....but I'm going to....  
  
REVIEW LIKE THE CRAZY PEOPLE YOU ARE!!!  
  
Heeheee.  
  
Let's break 100 you guys!!! It'll be a beautiful moment.  
  
OOO....I've stumbled upon a couple of very cool words today. I mean, I know them, but they just aren't words that you use in your everyday vocabulary. Ready?  
  
ACQUIESCENCE SYNERGY GESTICULATE  
  
Wow! That was extremely fun...for me anyways!  
  
If anybody's read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert can you please tell me why Leo and Gustave had make Anna Karenina and Emma Bovary die just because they had affairs and their world seemed to "crumble" around them just because they did? Why can't it just be like "Honey, I had an affair." "Oh, honey! I forgive you! Just don't do it again!"  
  
HUH?!  
  
Oh wait! I said that I'd let you go! Ok! Seriously! ::hugs for everyone:: Now go be good children and do your good deed for the week!  
  
=D  
  
Jen 


	26. Hope

Chap.26- Hope  
  
The last remains of the dinner were scraped onto Eric's plate while the rest of the guests leaned back into their chairs, attempting to relieve the weight of all the food they had consumed and was now uncomfortably present in their stomachs.  
  
Vaughn sat, silent, in his seat while the others around him chattered and talked animatedly to Bridgette whose every response held a kind smile and laughter. His eyes were trained on the fork in his plate and his ears only heard the buzz of conversation.  
  
He smiled though, in remembrance of the very same feeling he had felt when he was little and was dragged along to houses of various colleagues, whom his parents stayed talking to well into the next day. He would always be bored out of his mind and end up sitting next to his mother who would cup his cheek in her hand and assure him that they were almost done. He would then rest his head on his mother's lap and fall asleep to the gentle and constant stroking of her hand on his sandy blonde hair.  
  
Always, though, he would wake up in his own bed the next morning, unaware that he had been carried in his father's strong arms to the safety of their home.  
  
A sudden burst of laughter jolted him from his thoughts and he immediately glanced up at Eric who was basking in the glory of his well-told joke. Lisa was still laughing as she leaned to give Eric a small kiss on the cheek.  
  
"You finally got the timing right, honey." She joked.  
  
He looked at her in a mock confidential way and whispered to her loudly,  
  
"I told you not to say anything!"  
  
Vaughn smiled in amusement and craned his head to the right a little and caught sight of his godson sleeping on Lisa's lap just as he had with his own mother. Eric followed his best friend's gaze and rested it upon his small son.  
  
"We should go," Lisa said looking at the clock hanging on the wall.  
"I didn't realize what time it was!" Bridgette exclaimed, looking down at her own watch. Wood scraped wood as people started to stand up and head to the front door.  
"We should go too." Sydney said, pushing her own chair away from the table and standing up. "We had a great time. Thank you, Lauren, for the food. It was delicious."  
  
Scott put his arm protectively around Sydney's waist as she maneuvered her way to the front door.  
  
"Thank you for coming." Lauren said, smiling, and started to gather the dishes and place them into the sink.  
"It was very nice meeting you, Bridgette." Sydney added.  
"You too...Sydney, right?"  
"Right."  
"Well, you come here anytime you want and I'll cook for you. That was my recipe, you know." Bridgette said, winking discreetly at Sydney.  
"I just might take you up on that."  
"Oh, you make sure you do."  
  
Sydney laughed and gave Lisa a hug as she walked out of the front door. She waved at Eric who wiggled his fingers at her, as he was busy carrying his son. She thanked Lauren, once again, and hugged Bridgette. She hesitated slightly but reached up to hug Vaughn too.  
  
"Thanks."  
"No problem." He answered and ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. He opened his mouth to say something to Sydney, but Scott held out his hand to Vaughn.  
"Thanks."  
"No problem." Vaughn repeated, shaking Scott's hand.  
  
Sydney yawned as she wiped away the sweat that had emerged on her forehead after her run. She bent over the lily buds in her garden and looked up as she heard a door open and close.  
  
"Good morning." She greeted.  
"Morning." Vaughn answered as he stretched in his driveway.  
"I'm glad your mom came." Sydney said quietly.  
"Me too."  
  
The two of them were silent for a couple of minutes as the emerging rays of the rising sun broke the cold of the gray morning.  
  
"I'll see you at the office then," Sydney said, suddenly standing up.  
"Yea, see you." Vaughn replied.  
  
He watched as she disappeared into the depths of her house and walked down his driveway toward the street. Pausing, he doubled back and crossed the short stretch of grass and squatted.  
  
Gently, he touched one of the lily buds and saw that the tips were beginning to flower slightly.  
  
He drew his hand away and walked down to the street again, gradually speeding his pace and breaking into a quick jog.  
  
Some things just can't be rushed.  
  
A couple of hours into the work day, the five agents were called into the conference room for a meeting. Mark, Ana, and James were complaining quietly amongst themselves in the small circle they had formed with their leather computer chairs and Vaughn and Sydney smiled with an air of maturity at the snippets of their conversations that occasionally escaped the ring.  
  
The door opened and Mark, Ana, and James quickly wheeled their chairs back into their spots, clearing their throats, straightening clothes, and fixing their hair, trying to be discreet and becoming paranoid that Kendall and Jack had heard anything that they had said.  
  
Kendall strolled into the room leisurely as Jack followed behind him, closing the door gently behind him.  
  
"Hello." Kendall greeted with a sardonic smile on his face. He cleared his throat when nobody answered and sat down, signaling for Jack to take over.  
"I would like to start off by telling that we are not ready to send anybody to Bosnia-Herzegovina at this time. Even with the help of the code, it's taking longer than we expected." Jack started, ignoring the large grins that were plastered on Mark, Ana, and James' faces.  
"Then why are we here?" Sydney asked curiously.  
"He was getting to that Agent Voyer." Kendall said slowly from his seat.  
  
Sydney shot him a glance and Jack turned to him as well.  
  
"Thank you...Mr. Kendall." Jack said, his tone flat and showing no obvious appreciation or respect that his words originally would have held. "The reason why you have been called into this room today is because, as you might be aware, Mr. Vaughn's mother, Bridgette Delorme Vaughn is presently in Los Angeles."  
"She is?" Mark asked with excitement, thinking back to all the hot and steaming meals that were served to him in France.  
"Really?" Ana asked, remembering how Bridgette had taken them in, no questions asked, that night.  
"Yes, Agent Lee. Really." Kendall remarked.  
"Anyways," Jack intercepted. "you have all been informed. Now, Agent Jamison, Agent Lee, and Agent Chaplin, will you please excuse us?"  
  
The three nodded and stood up from their seats. Mark turned to give Sydney a thumbs-up and an exaggerated wink. She laughed and waved as the three walked out of the room.  
  
Jack waited until the door was shut and he walked to the back entrance, pulling open the door and telling something to the agent stationed there who immediately walked away.  
  
"Dad, what's going on?" Sydney asked.  
"Just wait." He assured her.  
  
A few minutes later, Bridgette walked into the conference room and took the seat where James had sat previously.  
  
"Mom?" Vaughn asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Bridgette just smiled at her son and then at Sydney. She leaned back into the leather chair and turned to look at Jack.  
  
"Should we start?" He asked her.  
"Yes."  
"Bridgette was asked to fly to Washington D.C. two weeks ago." Jack explained. "She is only stopping here for a week or so until she will fly back to France."  
"Mr. Bristow....Sir...." Vaughn started, correcting himself. "I am perfectly aware of my mother's flight itinerary. What I want to know is why she, a civilian, is present in a CIA debriefing."  
"If you would let me explain, Agent Vaughn," Jack said.  
"Yes, please! Explain!" Vaughn shouted. He was fed up with his mother's involvement with dangerous situations and this secret that was haunting him ever since he found out.  
"Michael!" Bridgette admonished. "Let Mr. Bristow explain."  
  
Vaughn sighed and leaned back into his chair.  
  
"Thank you, Bridgette. As I was saying, Mrs. Vaughn was asked to fly to Washington D.C. two weeks ago, but specifically, she was asked to fly to Langley."  
"Langley?" Sydney asked.  
"Yes. It was there where she was made an official CIA officer; something that I felt was long due. So technically, she's not a civilian anymore."  
"What?" Vaughn shouted, standing up quickly, his chair rolling backwards from the sudden motion. "So, are you going to send her on missions now? Is that it?"  
"Vaughn!" Sydney whispered fiercely. She pulled on his arm until he sat back down into his chair. "Calm down."  
"You never allow anyone to finish, do you Agent Vaughn?" Kendall said from his corner.  
  
Sydney's anger flared and she leaned forward in her chair.  
  
"I have had ENOUGH of you and your sarcastic, sardonic comments that you have just been making nonstop since you stepped into this room. Now, Mr. Kendall, I'm sorry that you may not have a life outside of this center, but that is NO excuse...."  
"Sydney! That is enough." Jack said firmly, cutting her off. "We don't have time for this. Now, as I was about to say, Bridgette chose to fly to Los Angeles not only to see her son, but also to turn in her resignation."  
  
Sydney and Vaughn turned to look at Bridgette in shock.  
  
"It's true." Bridgette confirmed a bit sadly. "That safe house has been in operation for more than twenty years now and I can't run it by myself anymore. Now that Michael knows, I know that he worries and it just breaks my heart." She turned to look Sydney straight in the eyes and said, "I've learned all that I've needed to learn. All the information that I wanted, I received." She turned her head to look at Jack and Kendall again. "I ask of nothing more than for you to accept my resignation."  
"Of course." Kendall answered, standing up and leaving, still furious with Sydney's lash of anger against him.  
"It has been a pleasure working with you, Bridgette." Jack said and left the room.  
  
Michael got up slowly from his chair and walked to Bridgette.  
  
"Maman...thank you, for everything." He said, embracing her.  
  
Bridgette smiled and over his shoulder she watched as Sydney walked as softly as she could out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.  
  
Sydney, had in fact, taken Bridgette up on her offer and was sitting on one of the stools of the kitchen countertop, watching Bridgette cook Michael's favorite dish. The smells wafted up to her nose and gladly accepted the wooden spoon containing a generous spoonful of sauce held out to her by Bridgette.  
  
"Too salty? Too spicy? Too bland?" Bridgette asked, shutting off the fire of the stove.  
  
Sydney shook her head.  
  
"It's perfect."  
  
Twenty minutes later, dinner was finished and Bridgette picked up the phone and persuaded Jack's secretary to remind Vaughn to come home at five every half hour. She placed the phone back into its cradle and surveyed the numerous pots, pans, dishes, and silverware that cluttered the sink and the countertop. She rolled up her sleeves and started to walk to the sink when Lauren held her back.  
  
"Go sit down and relax."  
"Don't be ridiculous!" Bridgette scoffed.  
"Why don't you and Sydney go for a walk or something while I clean up? It won't take me that long and I'll come join you. You don't mind, do you Sydney?"  
"No, of course not," Sydney replied.  
  
Bridgette hesitated and consented, letting her sleeves down and untying her apron. She walked to her room quickly and emerged a couple of minutes later.  
  
"Ready?" Bridgette asked her.  
"Whenever you are," Sydney replied, laughing.  
  
They walked out of the front door and Sydney began leading Bridgette on her regular jogging route. They talked occasionally, remarking on a yard or a house or a dog that would run in their path, but it mostly held silence.  
  
The silence wasn't the uncomfortable, stuffy, suffocating kind, but the smooth and gentle one. It allowed a person to settle into it comfortably and know that the two of them weren't talking not because they had nothing to say, but because they knew each other so well and they had too many things to say that they didn't have to say it verbally. They could just listen to each footstep. Listen to each movement of the arm. Listen to each turn of the head. Listen to each smile the mouth curled into.  
  
Sydney and Bridgette reached the park at a considerably short time due to their fast walking paces and Bridgette picked a bench under a large, shady tree. She patted the seat next to her and Sydney sat down.  
  
"Now, Sydney. I know that we didn't exactly end on such good terms since you found out and everything."  
"Bridgette...it really wasn't any of my business..."  
"No...It was. I'm glad that you found out."  
"Why?"  
"You can't imagine how long I've wanted to tell Michael about it. I was afraid though. Afraid that he may get hurt because of it, or maybe hate me for keeping it from him like he does now..."  
"He does not hate you." Sydney said firmly.  
"He was so mad, Sydney."  
"It's because he loves you so much. He told me. Vaughn said that he was more worried than mad."  
"That child worries too much." Bridgette sighed. "But anyways, thank you for giving me the courage."  
  
Sydney nodded and looked down into her lap, her fingers playing with a loose thread on the sleeve of her shirt.  
  
"I did what you told me to, Bridgette."  
"Pardon?"  
"I did what you told me." Sydney repeated. "I believed."  
"Something happened...didn't it?" Bridgette asked.  
  
Sydney nodded.  
  
"Now I wish that you hadn't retired yet so I could tell you what happened."  
"I'll settle for the short version." Bridgette said softly.  
"I was in South America and someone was supposed to tell me something." Sydney said, inhaling deeply. "And let's just say that she wasn't who she said that she was."  
"Oh, Sydney..."  
"You know, I thought that I had finally broken through my paranoia. I felt like I had a connection with her...that I helped her. But..."  
"I'm sorry, Sydney."  
"It's not your fault, Bridgette."  
  
A slight breeze ruffled the tree above them and the falling of a few leaves caused Sydney to turn and look at the sun that was beginning to set.  
  
"We've been here for this long?" Bridgette asked incredulously.  
"We should go before they start to worry." Sydney said, starting to get up.  
  
They walked back to the house and stopped at the sidewalk where Bridgette would walk a few paces to her left and Sydney, a few paces to her right.  
  
"When are you leaving?" Sydney asked.  
"Soon...I have few things I need to get done before I leave for France."  
"Will you come back to visit?"  
"Hopefully." Bridgette smiled.  
  
Sydney gave Bridgette a tight hug.  
  
"Will you let me know when you leave?" Sydney asked.  
  
Bridgette nodded. Sydney turned to walk to her driveway when Bridgette reached out and caught Sydney by the wrist. She turned and looked at Bridgette and walked back to where she was standing before.  
  
She watched as Bridgette felt into her pocket and pressed something round, cold, and heavy into her palm.  
  
"I want you to have this. It's hard for me to part with...but I think you need it more than I do."  
  
Sydney opened her palm and in shock she undid the small clasp to reveal the broken pocket watch.  
  
"Bridgette...I can't take this. It belongs to Vaughn, to you. I can't..."  
  
Bridgette shook her head and gently pushed Sydney's offering hands away.  
  
"Yes, you can. I'm going to be an old woman and insist that you take this."  
"No, Bridgette! I can't. It's Vaughn's. His father gave it to him."  
"He gave it to me in France. So technically, it's mine and I have the authority to give it to you."  
  
Sydney looked at Bridgette in desperation and when she saw that there was no persuading Bridgette she closed the watch again.  
  
"Why did you say that I need it?"  
  
Bridgette silently unclasped Sydney's hands and turned the watch over, pointing to the simple word in scripted on the back.  
  
Hope.  
  
Author's Note: Teeheehee. Jayme, you're so funny. I didn't know that you really were going to try and get me 120 reviews...by yourself. Lol.  
  
Thank you to EVERYONE that reviewed.  
  
Well...what did you think of the chapter? I didn't think it was as much of a tear-jerker as I would have liked....did you cry? I didn't cry.  
  
But!!! It was as long as I liked! Teeheehee! This is definitely the longest chapter of all!  
  
Well well, the reviews were very fun to read as they always are and I just have to say this before I go:  
  
Go join the Mark-rocks-my-post its club.  
  
Lol.  
  
See Jayme! (at FF.net)  
  
Teehehehe! Thanks for reading!  
  
Chapter 27- ETU (estimated time of upload): Saturday Hehehe! It's like my own little bulletin! I loves it! 


	27. Remember

Chap.27- Remember  
  
Sydney quickly slid into her seat in the debriefing room and Mark looked up from his seat. He placed his hands on his hips and pointed to his watch, shaking his finger at her and frowning. He had begun to mouth words to her when the Kendall walked into the room.  
  
"Agent Jamison, what the HELL are you doing?"  
  
A giggle escaped Ana's lips and Mark glared at her.  
  
"Uh, nothing....sir," he answered meekly, his face coloring.  
"You are leaving for Bosnia-Herzegovina in two hours." Kendall started, not even waiting for Mark's answer. "You are to use the equipment you were given for your trip to Lithuania. After you attain the core of the nuclear bomb, you are to make a dead drop in the city park ten miles away."  
"Wait...you want us to make a dead drop of a NUCLEAR BOMB?" James asked incredulously.  
"I don't think that is such a good idea." Vaughn commented.  
"Whether you think that it's a good idea or not, you are to obey."  
"Obey?" Ana shot back. "We're not your slaves, you know."  
"That's where you're wrong, Agent Lee. You may not be my slaves, and you should be glad of that, but you ARE public servants to this country and you WILL obey. Is that understood?" Kendall fumed and walked out of the room.  
"Yes, sir." Ana replied, surly, gathering her things and walking out the back door.  
  
Sydney, Vaughn, Mark, and James looked at each other and left in the direction of the parking lot.  
  
Two hours later, the five of them sat in the confines of the small, private plane. Ana was still furious about the incident of the debriefing and occasionally she would throw her hands up in the air and let them fall back down again, exclaiming and murmuring about Kendall's attitude problem.  
  
The rest of them were silent and a little nervous about the unknown and dangers they were about to face. A crackling voice over the intercom jolted them from their thoughts.  
  
"Mr. Vaughn, your wife on line six."  
  
Vaughn frowned and leaned forward to pick up the phone. He held it to his ear and spoke hesitantly.  
  
"Hello?"  
"Michael!" Lauren's voice came, sounding small and far away.  
"Lauren, how'd you get this number?"  
"Oh, a secretary gave it to me." Lauren answered, sounding pleased.  
"Is something wrong?"  
"No....well, yes."  
"What? What's the matter?" Vaughn asked urgently.  
"You know my Aunt Grace, the one that lives in Chicago?"  
"Yea."  
"She slipped on a patch of ice and she broke her ankle, so she can't get around the house."  
"Doesn't she have a son...what's his name again?"  
"Kevin. Yes, but he's away for the week on a business trip."  
"Okay..."Vaughn trailed off, not sure how this applied to himself or Lauren.  
"I need to go to Chicago and take care of her. It's just for week and you're going to be gone for a while anyways."  
"Alright...just be careful, okay?"  
"I will." Lauren answered.  
"Bye."  
"Bye, love you."  
  
Vaughn hung up the phone and leaned back into his chair. He looked to his left at Sydney who had fallen asleep in the seat. A strand of her hair fell from its place behind her ear and seemed to shield her face from the outside world. His fingers twitched and he felt the urge to reach up and brush her hair from her face, to tell her that she had nothing to be afraid of, that he would protect her.  
  
But he didn't. He let her sleep, because he knew that was the only time she would look as peaceful as she did now and after everything that she had been through, that was what she deserved.  
  
Peace.  
  
Sydney didn't know that Vaughn knew that his mother had given the pocket watch to her. Although he felt an emptiness in his heart, as that watch was one of the only things he possessed that connected him to his father, a part of him thought that the watch partly belonged to Sydney.  
  
It was the watch that had stopped on the day they met.  
  
Sometimes, he would feel ashamed because he would forget Lauren's birthday or their anniversary. But even after all these years, he still remembered that day, the exact moment, the weather, his emotions.  
  
October 1st.  
  
He would never forget.  
  
The five agents took the side entrance into the building and looked around. Seeing no one, Sydney directed them towards the stairs.  
  
"Mountaineer, this is Home base. Are you currently on the fourth floor?"  
"Yes, awaiting further instruction."  
"Seventh door."  
"Copy. I'm going radio silent."  
"Copy that."  
  
Sydney nodded and held up seven fingers. Quietly, they padded to the seventh door and opened it. The room was stark white with stainless steel tables and file cabinets lining the room. The light hanging above was piercingly bright.  
  
Vaughn walked around the room toward the file cabinets and observed the numbers written on each one. He frowned.  
  
"Sydney."  
  
She looked up from the numerous scalpels lining the tray and walked over to him.  
  
"You noticed too." She observed when he pointed to one of the numbers.  
"We're on the fourth floor, seventh door. This is cabinet number forty-seven. Rambaldi had a fascination with the number forty-seven."  
"I don't think that that's a file cabinet, Vaughn."  
"I know." He answered.  
  
Swallowing, he placed a hand on one of the handles and pulled it open. Sydney gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Ana, James, and Mark quickly crossed the room and they looked at the body in shock.  
  
"Wasn't she in the closet in Lithuania?" Mark asked quietly.  
"Yes." Ana answered. "I thought the CIA has the body in their custody."  
"Apparently they don't." James answered. He looked around at the other stainless steel cabinets. "This is a morgue."  
"Do you think the bomb is...inside of her?" Ana asked.  
  
They looked around at each other, knowing, that that was what they had been questioning all along. James, Vaughn, and Mark looked at each other and together, they pulled the drawer all the way out. Lifting it, they slowly walked towards the stainless steel table in the middle while Ana looked for trays and dissecting equipment.  
  
A loud clatter sounded from outside the door and Sydney, who was standing by the doorway, looked to her team members.  
  
"I'll be back." Sydney said and walked quickly out into the hallway.  
"No, Sydney! Wait!" Vaughn shouted.  
  
They finally reached the table and set the body on the table. Ana took a sharpened scalpel and quickly slid it down the center of the body. Mark grimaced as he took one section of skin and James, the other. Pulling it back, Ana frowned as she saw a small blinking light. She cut the connections of the major organs and dropped them into the tray beside her, revealing the bomb.  
  
"Oh, shit..." Mark breathed.  
  
Vaughn quickly took Marshall's gadget out of his pocket and he snapped a picture of it. The search progress bar inched by and when it was complete, the screen flickered to show that there were no known matches.  
  
"Home base, this is Carebear. Do you copy?"  
"Copy."  
"There are NO KNOWN matches. I repeat there are NO KNOWN matches."  
  
Mark produced the small tool kit from his vest pocket and unscrewed the lid carefully. Vaughn, anxiously kept watching the door, anticipating for it to open and for Sydney to burst in.  
  
"I have a blue wire, a blue white, a green wire, a green white, a brown, a yellow, orange, orange white, purple, red, red white, white." Ana rattled off.  
"Carebear, this is home base. Cut the red white. Do you copy? Cut the red white."  
"Copy." Ana answered. "Cut the red white." She told Mark.  
"The red white?"  
"Red white." She repeated.  
  
Mark took the wire cutter and placed it around the red-white wire that Ana had picked out with her deft fingers. Clenching his teeth, he cut the wire and to their relief the light stopped blinking.  
  
"Can you take it from here?" Vaughn asked.  
"Yea." James answered wearily, speaking into the comm. link. "This is Zebra, requesting information."  
  
Vaughn nodded and walked quickly out of the door wondering where Sydney could be.  
  
Twenty minutes earlier, Sydney had left the room cautiously. The corridors were mostly empty, but as she slowly padded along, overturned objects cluttered the hallways and a large ribbon of blood trailed along. The blood trail ended abruptly and Sydney looked to her right to see the dead guard, slumped against the wall, blood still flowing profusely from his chest.  
  
Sydney started to turn back and was met face to face with a woman clad in black; the eyes were the only visible part of the body. The woman blocked all of Sydney's kicks and punches with surprising force and reflex. She knocked Sydney's gun out of her hand and swiftly kicked her in the stomach.  
  
Sydney collapsed in pain and the woman bent over her, their eyes meeting, before knocking Sydney unconscious.  
  
Author's Note: Dun dun dun!! Lol. I can't remember who predicted that this would happen...but whoever it was (I will find out and will laud you next chapter) you deserve a pat on the back for your awesome prediction skills. ::pat pat:: BUT, I do have to say, that you only have PART of your prediction right. So...keep thinking.  
  
Okay, to address this whole name issue thing that Jayme brought up. I like the name Scott and I really didn't think of Scott Foley, so sorry...that's not a foreshadowing thing. BUT you know what else I also figured out? His name is Scott Voyer right? So his initials are SV. Lol. But again...no.  
  
So, Jayme, you ALSO deserve a pat on the back ::pat pat:: for your observation and analyzation skills that you've put to good use, but it doesn't really work here.  
  
Now shoo! Go analyze something else!!  
  
Teeheehee. 


	28. Sandalwood and Lilies

Chap.28- Sandalwood and Lilies  
  
Vaughn stood by the large glass window of the hospital, a cup of coffee in his hand, the swaying boughs of the skinny trees entrancing him by their dance. He lifted his arm and took a sip of his now ice-cold coffee. Shuddering, he walked over to the bathroom and poured the remains down the sink. Looking up into the mirror, he looked into his own bloodshot eyes, remembering.  
  
A loud gun shot had caught his attention and walking briskly in that direction, he too, came upon the ribbon of blood. He had hoped, prayed, wished, and pleaded that that wasn't Sydney's. He had passed the dead guard, now assured that Sydney hadn't been mortally wounded. But his breath caught in his throat when he had seen Sydney's figure curled on the ground.  
  
Frantically, he had called for an emergency extraction. He and Sydney were flown to the hospital in Langley. After they had assessed that she was at least stable, they were then immediately flown to Los Angeles.  
  
A small tap on the door caught his attention and Ana poked her head into the room. He walked out from the bathroom and she motioned for him to come outside.  
  
"How is she?" Ana asked.  
"The doctors say that she's stable." Vaughn answered.  
"Has she woken up yet?"  
"No. She did, briefly, when we landed in Langley. She has a slight concussion from when she was knocked out."  
"Oh...tell her I stopped by, okay?"  
"Sure." Vaughn answered and his voice then dropped to a whisper. "How was the dead drop?"  
"It went well...Kendall will catch you up on it. Speaking of Kendall, I have a debriefing to get to...so I should go. I just wanted to check up on her. Get some sleep, you look like hell."  
  
Vaughn snorted.  
  
"Thanks."  
"No problem!" Ana shouted as she walked down the long, lit hall.  
  
Vaughn was jolted out of his sleep as his ears detected a soft voice that stood out among the gentle whirring of machines and the bleeps of the monitors.  
  
"Vaughn..."  
  
Scrambling up from his fold-away bed the nurses had given him, he crossed the room to the bed and as his eyes adjusted, he detected the outline of Sydney's face.  
  
"Close your eyes." He warned, leaning over her to turn on the tender luminance of the bedside light. He sat down into the chair beside the bed and she sat up to look at him directly.  
"What happened?" She asked.  
"I don't know." He admitted. "I found you unconscious and so I called for emergency extraction."  
  
Sydney nodded.  
  
"I remember now. I...I heard someone outside the room, so I went to see who it was. Then I saw the blood...and the guard. I bent down to check his wounds and she caught me off guard."  
"She?" Vaughn asked.  
"Yea. She."  
"Do you remember what happened next?"  
  
Sydney frowned and the creases in her forehead disappeared as her eyes flew open.  
  
"She kicked in my stomach, I fell...I don't remember anything after that."  
"She knocked you unconscious." Vaughn supplied.  
"Is my baby okay?" Sydney asked, her heart monitor number increasing rapidly.  
"Syd, calm down." Vaughn soothed, his eyes flickering to the monitor.  
"I don't care about those damn numbers!" Sydney shouted. "I want to know if my baby is okay."  
  
Vaughn looked straight at her.  
  
"Syd...I..."  
"Vaughn?"  
"I'm sorry, Syd. I really am."  
"Why are you sorry? Vaughn? Answer me!" Sydney almost screamed in frustration, the tears already beginning to form in her eyes.  
"When the woman...attacked you, she kicked you directly in your abdomen and your baby received most of the blow. And..."  
"And?" Sydney demanded, almost not wanting to know.  
"And it died from brain damage."  
  
An almost un-human scream escaped from Sydney and she bent over, in extreme emotional pain, clutching her heart. Her long hair fell from behind her ears and tears fell from her eyes, spattering the speckled tiles of the hospital room.  
  
Vaughn moved from his chair to the edge of her bed. He didn't hesitate as he brushed the hair from her tear-stained face back behind her ear. She looked up at him and wrapped her cool arms around his neck. His strong arms felt her sobs racking her body and he looked up as one of the nurses walked into the room, her original purpose to tell them to quiet down.  
  
He shook his head slightly and she nodded as she walked back out again, shutting the door quietly behind her.  
  
The next morning, Sydney woke up to a soft rapping on the door. Her eyes, swollen from crying, forced themselves open. She heard a small clatter in the bathroom and a few seconds later, Vaughn walked out quickly to open the door. He was greeted by an enormous stuffed bear.  
  
"Hey." A muffled voice said, seemingly coming from the bear.  
"Hey..." Vaughn ventured tentatively.  
"It's me, Mike." Weiss answered, peeking around the bear's head to its shoulder.  
"I figured." He remarked dryly and then smiled. Weiss had a knack for lightening the air in the stuffiest places.  
  
The bear-man moved from the doorway to the bedside. Thrusting the bear at Sydney, Eric squeaked in a shy voice,  
  
"I, uh...I won it. For you."  
  
A small smile began to form on Sydney's lips and she decided to play along with Eric's mockery of high school teenagers.  
  
"For me?"  
"Yea...uh...I had to play like, twenty-seven times...."  
"How sweet..."  
"Yea...I...  
  
"Okay! Okay!" Vaughn cut in; shaking his head. The other half of him couldn't help but wonder how long they could go on.  
  
Eric and Sydney grinned at each other and Sydney situated the bear in the seat beside her bed. She reached up and hugged Eric briefly.  
  
"Thank you."  
"You're welcome. Lisa and Jake send their best wishes."  
  
The door burst open and Ana's flying figure came to Sydney's bed side. She hugged her tightly and smiled.  
  
"I came to visit you. Did he tell you?" Ana asked, referring to Vaughn.  
"No...." Sydney answered.  
  
They both turned to look at Vaughn who shrugged.  
  
"What?" He asked in indignation.  
"Never mind." Ana said waving her hand in his direction. "Oo...cute bear."  
  
Eric beamed proudly.  
  
"I thought you said that Mark and James were coming with you." Vaughn said to Ana.  
"Oh, they're in the parking lot. Apparently, none of the spaces are close enough for them."  
  
As if on cue, the two materialized in the doorway and after greeting Vaughn and Eric, went to say hi to Sydney.  
  
"Did you find a parking space?" Eric asked Mark.  
"Yep," Mark answered. "Right smack near the elevator."  
"First floor?" Eric asked.  
"Yep."  
"Oh, when I came all of them were full."  
"They are...except for the handicapped." Mark answered slyly.  
"You parked in the handicapped?" Vaughn asked in disbelief.  
"Yea, James has a plaque from his uncle."  
"You know, you're not really supposed to do that." Sydney spoke up.  
"I know. It's against the law or something. Violating the government and whatnot." Mark shrugged.  
"Did you forget who you work for?!" Ana asked.  
"Oh." Mark answered, his smile disappearing. "Right on. James! To the car!"  
  
Ana turned around and hit James on the arm.  
  
"Ow." He remarked. "I personally thought it was a bad idea. I tried to tell him...really I did..."  
  
Ana turned to Sydney and then rolled her eyes.  
  
"I should go and make sure that they don't run over anything...or anyone. I'll see you soon."  
"Bye."  
  
The three of them walked out of the room, their voices could be heard until the elevator closed shut.  
  
"I like that Mark." Eric said. "He reminds me of..."  
"You." Vaughn cut in. "He reminds you of you. That's why you like him so much."  
"Exactly!" He exclaimed.  
"Do I know you or do I know you?"  
"You know me."  
"That's what I thought."  
  
Later that day, the nurses informed Vaughn that they could not get a hold of Scott and that nobody had picked up the phone at the university hospital. They assured him that he could go home and get a decent night's sleep, pointing out the fact that he would need to be at work the next day.  
  
A few days later, Sydney was admitted from the hospital and allowed to go home. The doctors had detected no further brain injury and assured her that she would not experience any side effects from the concussion that would hinder her performance in the field.  
  
She was packing her clothes to go home when a nurse walked into her room.  
  
"Do you need any help?" The nurse asked.  
"Oh, no thank you. I'm fine." Sydney answered politely.  
"I tried called your emergency contact, and he's not picking up."  
"It's my husband. He's at a medical conference in Europe."  
"Is there anybody else I can call to come pick you up?"  
"I can't drive home myself?" Sydney asked.  
"Well...we like our patients to refrain from any operation of heavy machinery for at least twenty-four hours. It's a hospital policy. Are you sure there's nobody else? Relatives? Friends?"  
  
Sydney thought for a moment. Jack was in Langley and would be for the following week. Will and Katie were probably swamped at work, the demanding deadline closing near. Lisa had Jake to deal with, which was enough to handle already. Eric was in court. Ana, Mark, and James were all at work and she knew that they had too much paperwork to fill out, testimonies to give, and evaluations to present. Vaughn...  
  
"Does this hospital hold permanent records?"  
"Yes."  
"Would you mind looking up my former emergency contact? It was...five years ago."  
"Who am I looking for?" The nurse asked brightly.  
"Vaughn, Michael. He's....he's a friend."  
  
Late that night, Vaughn stayed up, pacing around the house with nothing to do. He couldn't sleep, but he was dead tired. He swirled the glass of white wine that he was holding in his hand, poured from the bottle Sydney had given them at the dinner party. It didn't do much for him though. He would have preferred a glass of brandy or scotch, but Lauren didn't like the presence of them in the house.  
  
The sudden patter of raindrops hit the roof and the slid down the windows. Drawing the curtains, he stood in the window of the living room and watched as nature took out its anger. Thunder shook Vaughn's eardrums and he counted silently, watching for the lightening.  
  
'Eleven miles.' He told himself as he saw the brilliant flash of light.  
  
The rain began to fall harder from the sky, in larger raindrops, it seemed. Randomly, Vaughn's mind drifted back to the lilies in Sydney's garden and he sincerely hoped that they would not be destroyed during this rainfall.  
  
Lightning struck again and Vaughn jumped as the doorbell rang simultaneously with it. His drowsiness cleared and adrenaline rushed through his body. He wondered who would be out at this hour, and in this weather.  
  
Slowly, he walked to the front door and cautiously peeked through the peephole in the door. He drew back, shocked, and quickly unlocked the door.  
  
"Syd! What are you doing outside?" Vaughn asked, as more rain spattered onto her hair, dripped through the light jacket, and down her legs. He looked up to her face and he could see the tear stains that ran down her cheeks.  
"Vaughn...I'm sorry to bother you..." Sydney started.  
"Sydney, you're soaked." Vaughn said, cutting her off. He pulled her inside, locking the door.  
"Is Lauren sleeping? Did I wake you up?"  
"She..."  
"It's probably not a good time, is it? I'll just go. I'm sorry." Sydney said quickly, now embarrassed, her mind wandering to what she could have interrupted. Her fingers numb from the cold, worked unsuccessfully at the heavy lock.  
"She's not home." Vaughn answered, his hand closing on hers to stop it.  
"Oh." Sydney replied, her teeth chattering.  
"You're freezing." He said, feeling her cold fingers. "Come on." He said leading her to the bedroom. She stood by as he pulled a large sweater and flannels from closet hangers. He moved to the linen closet to get a towel and handed the pile to her. "The bathroom is over there."  
"Thanks." She whispered and moved past him.  
  
A few minutes later, he could hear the bathroom light click shut and the bathroom door swinging open. Sydney padded into the room softly and curled up into the couch opposite of him.  
  
"Hey." He said softly.  
"Hey." She answered.  
"Are you okay, Syd?"  
  
A brief silence followed and she finally shook her head.  
  
"No." Sydney admitted. "I just killed my child, how can I be alright?"  
"You didn't kill it."  
"I technically did."  
"We aren't speaking technically."  
"I'm experiencing the worst thing that anybody can experience. It's not just losing a child. It's....regret."  
"Regret?"  
"Yes. Regret. I just keep telling myself over and over that if I had just LISTENED and not have been so stubborn...You kept telling me not to go. My father kept telling me not to go. But I didn't listen."  
"Syd, I don't want to sound insensitive. But you have to stop beating yourself up about it. Because nothing is going to change it."  
"I know...I just....I can't stop. The house is so empty."  
"Your husband..."  
"...Is at a medical conference. In Europe." Sydney finished. "Oh god, he doesn't know. How am I supposed to tell him?" She buried her face in her hands.  
"Syd, listen to me. Sydney. Listen." Vaughn demanded. "He WILL understand."  
"You don't know that. He's going to hate me."  
"No, he won't."  
"How do you know that?" She asked, desperation beginning to show in her voice.  
  
Vaughn looked intently at her.  
  
"How can anybody hate you?" He asked quietly.  
  
The thunder rolled again. The flash of lightening filled to room.  
  
"Three miles." Sydney said softly. She rested her head against the arm of the couch. None of them spoke for a long time and by the time the next sound of thunder filled the air; Sydney had fallen into a light sleep.  
  
Vaughn got up to turn up the heat and his gaze fell on Sydney. Gently, he lifted her from the couch and transferred her onto the bed. Vaughn looked at Sydney, the Kings logo emblazoned largely on the chest of his favorite sweater and the faded red flannel of his pants, lying on Lauren's side of the bed. Sighing, he reached over and gently lifted her to his side, covering her with the thick comforter.  
  
His nose inhaled the familiar scent of her and he smiled in recognition.  
  
Sandalwood and lilies.  
  
Crossing to the other end of the room, he grabbed an extra pillow and a blanket from a chair. Vaughn walked to the living room and arranged his make-shift bed on the couch.  
  
Just like the gentleman that he was.  
  
Author's Note: Hi! How was that? Was it too choppy? Because there were so many things that were happening in this chapter. If you're like me and sometimes space out when reading and don't really read word-for-word, then I do kind of recommend that you go back because there will probably be references in the future and there are A TON of hints.  
  
But I'm not telling.....  
  
OKAY! So anyways, I was reading some reviews and I realized that there are questions that you guys asked me that I DIDN'T EVEN ANSWER!! Which is, if you ask me, extremely rude. So I'm sorry for being rude. Here we go:  
  
Agent Lopez, I think the word you're looking for is "fetus". Lol.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Is the first thing I have to say. The second is explaining Vaughn's position in all of this. He ACCEPTS the fact that Sydney is pregnant (or was) with another man's kid but it doesn't mean that he's OKAY with it. You see the difference? I mean, it's not like he has another other choice because he has absolutely no say in it whatsoever. He does in a way, feel responsible for Sydney's safety because he knows that he's the only one that knows that she's pregnant and if in case, she is exposed to ULTRA- dangerous situations or whatever, he's there for her. (Victoria-Marie, I hope that's helpful a bit. I'm not correcting you or anything. Just elaborating a bit...)  
  
Jayme: Teeheehee. Geez, your reviews are so long, it's like ::whoosh:: and goes right over my head. But whatever you do: DON'T STOP WRITING THEM!!! Okay, well you had a lot of questions. First, my presents. Oh yes! Let's talk about that! Well, I got moolah and clothes and such. Lots of little things that my friends gave me that are inside jokes. Yep yep. Second: No, I don't think that koalas are on lamp posts and kangaroos are everywhere....but THAT WOULD BE SO COOL!! I mean, you're talking to your friend in the street and a kangaroo just hops by in the back round. ::hop hop hop:: SO COOL! YES! Third: NO, Bridgette doesn't know about Lauren not being able to have kids. Fourth: Scott knows that Sydney is CIA (read about it in: Chapter 3) but he doesn't know about Vaughn. Fifth: (coughhennycough) Sydney and Scott moved back to LA because Scott got a job transfer to the university hospital (read about it in: Chapter 1- Sydney is unpacking and reminiscing).  
  
To: madnuninblue  
  
I told you I would find out who you were! You (and your friends) predicted the part about Sydney going on the mission and something goes wrong. I see that you've got that part down pat. BUT like I said before...you've only got PART of it right. But good job anways! Teeheehee. ::high-five!::  
  
Ok, yes. Loser. Me. Dork. Me.  
  
Tell me something I DON'T know.  
  
But...AHH! Yes! What will happen in the next chapter?  
  
Read on!  
  
Jen  
  
P.S. Wasn't this a long chapter? YES. All nod with me now. YES..... 


	29. Survival

Chap.29- Survival  
  
The sudden rapping on the kitchen window jolted Vaughn out of his deep- dreamlike sleep. He jumped and Donovan whined at him in irritation before going back to sleep.  
  
"Sorry, boy." Vaughn apologized, looking over to the kitchen window where the pesky birds had flown away. His eyes wandered back to the couch Donovan was sleeping on. The couch that Sydney had sat in only hours before.  
  
Sydney...  
  
He threw back the light covers and walked down the hall, slowing when he neared the bedroom. His steps became light and his breathing shallow. Placing his hand on the golden knob, he softly turned it, wincing at the click of metal against metal. Vaughn leaned his weight against the door to control its range of movement and he glanced toward the bed.  
  
Vaughn sighed and chided himself at his own disappointment. The thick white comforter had been neatly folded and placed on the foot of the bed. His pillow had been plumped up to release the indentation that her head had made the night before. He walked to his closet and found that Sydney had placed his flannel pants in the same drawer that he had taken them out of. His favorite sweatshirt hung from its original hanger.  
  
His alarm clock on the bed stand went off and he looked at the time grudgingly. He dressed in running pants and threw on the sweatshirt that he had observed, knowing that it would be cold from the late-night storm.  
  
He opened the large front door and stepped outside into the new day. The morning cold caused his bare hands to habitually place themselves in the front pocket of his sweater. Vaughn frowned and when he brought his hands back out, one held a crinkled piece of paper. Smoothing it out the best that he possibly could, he stood, leaning on the hood of the car to read.  
  
'The Hickory and Norway kindling you ordered urgent HAVE ARRIVED.'  
  
Vaughn read the short sentence three times and the creases on his forehead disappeared as he deciphered what Sydney had written.  
  
'Thank you.'  
  
He looked over to Sydney's garden and saw that the lilies had survived. They hadn't bloomed yet, but their stems stood straighter and stronger than they had before the storm, holding up the buds with a seemingly regal and dignified air.  
  
--  
  
Sydney pulled into her usual space in the parking lot and she walked towards the elevator doors half-wanting to bump into Vaughn, as she always did in the mornings, and half wanting to avoid him altogether.  
  
She had almost reached her desk when a brisk, heavy step caught her attention and she turned.  
  
"Sydney." He called.  
"Dad?"  
"Come inside." Jack beckoned, taking her arm and pulling her into his private office. He closed the door after she stepped inside and turned to face her with a concerned expression.  
"You know?" Sydney asked, the lump that had settled in her chest rising into her throat.  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"I'm so sorry, honey. How is Scott?"  
"He doesn't know." Sydney answered.  
"What?"  
"He's away. At a medical conference in Switzerland, I think..."  
"You've been alone? In the hospital? At home?" Jack asked in disbelief.  
"Not exactly....but, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to be at Langley for two weeks."  
"I heard about you and I flew back the next flight I could get."  
"Thank you, Dad."  
"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, Sydney. I should've checked up on your mission earlier..."  
"No...Stop. It's not your fault."  
"I'm your father, Sydney."  
"And I'm your daughter. I haven't exactly been easy on you, have I?"  
  
Jack smiled.  
  
"You know that I wouldn't have you any other way."  
  
The tears that Sydney had been holding back began to flow freely as she moved to Jack. Sydney held on to her father, her stronghold, her rock in treacherous waters with all that she had. Jack embraced his daughter, his pride and joy, his whole reason for living with the life that he had risked so many times for her.  
  
A single tear found its way down his cheek and he discreetly wiped it away without Sydney's knowledge.  
  
Sydney's beeper went off suddenly and she looked down to check the small, lighted screen.  
  
"I have to meet with Gerard." She told Jack and couldn't help but groan in frustration. "I'm a mess..."  
"You don't have to go." Jack said dismissively.  
"What?"  
"You don't have to go." He repeated. "I'll get you a pardon."  
  
Sydney looked at him amazed. She smiled.  
  
"Have I recently told you how much I love you?"  
  
--  
  
The mornings and nights seemed to pass and mix into each other. Neither Sydney nor Vaughn were assigned new missions and James, Mark, and Ana accepted their heavy workload without a word of complaint.  
  
Sydney was getting ready to go home and cook dinner in preparation for Scott's arrival home when Vaughn walked by and slipped a note under her desk calendar. She unfolded the paper to reveal the familiar scrawl.  
  
'Have faith.'  
  
The note was simple. Short and sweet. There was no code or any hidden message. It was straight-forward and honest. He could have suddenly remembered and had just written it out of politeness or these two words could have taken him half an hour to think of.  
  
Whatever it was, they held a great truth and a powerful meaning.  
  
She couldn't have said it any better herself.  
  
--  
  
Sydney was standing over a pot of simmering soup, stirring occasionally as instructed, when the opening and closing of the garage door was heard clearly throughout the whole house. Her body tensed as Scott walked into the kitchen and walked over to give her a kiss.  
  
"Hey." Sydney whispered.  
"Hey." He whispered back. "Are you sick?"  
"No, why?"  
"You're whispering. Why are we whispering?"  
"I don't know." Sydney answered.  
"Did you miss me?" Scott asked.  
"Yea." Sydney nodded. "This house is too empty."  
"Well, that won't be a problem soon." He said, placing his hand on her flat stomach where a small mound had been before. "Sydney, why..." Scott started, in confusion.  
  
Sydney turned off the stove and removed his hand from her stomach. She turned to him and told him as much as she could.  
  
"I'm sorry, Scott. I killed our baby..."  
"No, Sydney. No. It's not your fault. You couldn't have known." Scott said, trying to reason with her although his pain emanated from his heart and his tears had already begun to flow.  
"I just shouldn't have gone. The day I found out I should have extracted myself from field duty or....or retired..."  
"Are you okay?" He cut in.  
"What?" Sydney asked, distracted.  
"I said, are you okay? Were you hurt?"  
"Other than.....no, I had a slight concussion but nothing serious..."  
"No permanent damage?" Scott asked.  
  
Sydney frowned.  
  
"No."  
"Were you in the hospital?"  
"Yea..."  
"Why didn't you call me?"  
"You didn't leave a number."  
"Were you by yourself?"  
  
She was silent and then nodded.  
  
"Yea...I...I was by myself."  
"I'm sorry, Syd. I shouldn't have gone to the conference."  
  
Sydney jolted and then looked at Scott.  
  
"What'd you call me?"  
"Sydney..."  
"No, you said 'Syd'."  
"No, I didn't."  
"Yes, you did."  
  
Scott sighed.  
  
"Does it really matter?" He asked, his tired sapphire eyes meeting hers.  
  
Sydney looked at him and her mind wandered guiltily back to the accident.  
  
"No....I guess it doesn't."  
  
---  
  
Author's note: Sorry that took longer than usual to get up. Let's just say that I've had a bad bad week. BAD. Halloween made it better though, got lotsa candy and had fun!  
  
SO ANYWAYS!  
  
I'm going to ask my usual question here: What did you think???  
  
Now for my answering section (hehe):  
  
-I have no idea where I learned the thunder & lightening thing...but I remembered and I was like "Wow! I shall write that in!" Yes, I actually said 'shall'. It's not my fault, my friend always says it and it just sticks to me.  
  
-Yes yes! I know that a lot of you would have liked Vaughn to watch her sleep, but if you think about it, he must have watched her sleep quite a bit in the hospital when she was unconscious and on sedatives and then he watched her sleep on the plane and well...that's a lot of watching somebody sleep. So, let's not get stalkeresque. =D Because anybody that has had a stalker will tell you....that's just quite scary.  
  
-star16: No...Lauren didn't find Syd in their bed. Although that would be quite a nice physical fight scene because we ALL know who would win THAT one....;-)  
  
-serendipity112233: Grasshopper! OMG! I love that! =D  
  
-landi104: LOL! It's okay! The predictions will come...  
  
-STOA: You'll see......  
  
-Agent Lopez: I know how you feel. I have Geometry too...sucks...be glad that you didn't have to stay up until 12:48 doing your homework like I did....err....Thursday......Hope you did well on your test!  
  
-Jayme: LOL. I can't tell you how much I was cracking up when your review ended suddenly and then the next email was the continuation. Hehe. I can't believe you went through it! So much effort! But I like highlighting. And Post-It notes. So that actually sounds like something I would do. Hmm...about the whole CODE thing....I dunno. Do you really want to know? I don't think you really want to know. But you WILL find out....eventually....  
Yes, I read Anne Frank, but did you know that there are different ones? For English this year we had to make a scrapbook on a person so we had to read their biography and I just chose Anne Frank because I already had the book. So in class there were two other people that were doing her and we were comparing and it was DIFFERENT! In my book, the helper's name was Bep and in my friend's it was something else. SO....yea. Totally off topic.  
Again, the lightning thing. How I learned to do it was when you hear the thunder start counting. And then when you see the lighting stop. And the number that you get is how miles away it is. So I guess it's a BAD thing when the lightening flashes while you hear the thunder. =0/  
Yes yes! Chapter 28 was quite fluffical. The 11 miles and 3 miles.....err, I actually didn't think of that. YES....it is true that there are hints in there. Subtle hints. But hints nonetheless. There are also hints in HERE too! Not a lot though. One or two maybe.  
  
Oh yes! You guys, I totally forgot to tell you! Look for SYMBOLISM! Yes! Yes! I can think of two examples of symbolism off the top of my head. If you can't find anything, I'll tell you....if you care anyways.  
  
ETU: Friday-Saturday  
  
Jen  
  
P.S. Thanks for the reviews!! P.P.S. Did anybody pick up on how to decode Syd's message? I actually made one for Vaughn's original response, but then I edited that......so poo..... 


	30. Here For You

Chap.30- Here For You  
  
Sydney lied, unmoving, on her bed in the quietness of the large master bedroom. She hadn't seen Scott in three days; as his beeper seemed to always go off whenever they had a chance to talk and when he got back from the hospital, Sydney would either be asleep or at work. She couldn't help but wonder if his hectic schedule was intentional and his discreet way of avoiding her.  
  
Her beeper started to vibrate and beep continuously, relentlessly. Groaning, she rolled over onto her side and fumbled around in her bed stand drawer, her hand disgustedly pushing a large handgun to the back before extracting the beeper. After quieting the noise that had shattered the tranquility and calm of the house, and turning off the lights that flashed brilliant green, she rubbed her sleep filled eyes and focused on the letters of screen.  
  
Sighing loudly to herself, she flung the white down comforter off her body and shivered before stumbling off into the bathroom.  
  
--  
  
Twenty minutes later, Sydney walked into the debriefing and sat silently into her seat.  
  
"You're late." Kendall stated, shuffling the papers on his desk.  
"It's my day off." Sydney replied dryly, crossing her arms and leaning into her seat.  
  
Kendall gave her a look that showed that he was openly annoyed and began passing out the stacks of papers. He retrieved pictures from the database and they flitted onto the large screen and onto the ones in front of the agents.  
  
"Is that Jacobins-Robespierre?" Mark asked, his mind clicking in recognition.  
"Yes it is." Jack answered.  
"He looks different." Vaughn remarked, creases forming on his forehead as he studied the picture, trying to see what had changed.  
"Our analysts noticed that too, Agent Vaughn." Kendall said. The picture zoomed in to a close up and eventually the graphic image transformed into a computer created x-ray of the facial bones. "The cheek bones, for one, are higher up than they were the last time you met him. The nose construction is different and in the skull, this man has two more bones than the last Jacobins-Robespierre did."  
"Were there any records or sightings of him walking into a doctor's office?" Ana asked.  
"None at all," Jack replied. "But that's not unusual. As a man of his power and standing, he would probably have the doctor come to him and have extremely secret medical visits to ensure that nobody knows of his vulnerability."  
"That's not the problem...is it?" Sydney asked.  
"No, it's not." Kendall replied.  
"We're most concerned about the two additional bones in the skull. With Marshall's help, we were able to come up with the x-ray and have a precise measurement of skin and bone density." Jack continued. "The bones are real and they weren't inserted."  
"So, how'd they do it?" James asked.  
"We don't know."  
"Is it that unusual that he has two additional bones?" Mark asked.  
"According to the doctors, no it is not usual to have additional bones in your skull, but the question is 'how did it get there' if he didn't have them two months ago? They weren't inserted. There is no possibility for them to appear in this stage of his life."  
"Are you trying to imply that there are TWO Jacobins-Robespierres?" Vaughn asked incredulously.  
"Not two. Just one. Well...one REAL one, at least."  
"That's impossible." Sydney said, almost laughing out of frustration. "I destroyed that lab myself. I saw it become obliterated. I almost got SHOT because I destroyed that lab. It's impossible."  
"I'm sorry, but you should know by now, Agent Voyer. In this game, nothing is impossible."  
  
--  
  
"Sydney!" Jack called, causing her to slow and wait for him. The debriefing had just ended and she had walked out quickly in a daze of confusion and irritability. "Come with me." He said, taking her arm and leading her into the elevator.  
"Where are we going?" She asked.  
"We're almost there." He said.  
  
The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open. He led her into a private office and after leaving for two minutes, he returned with a pretty middle-aged woman following behind him. She smiled kindly at Sydney.  
  
"Hello, Sydney. I'm Doctor Hart."  
"It's nice to meet you, Doctor Hart."  
"Likewise," she said.  
"I really don't mean to be rude, but what exactly am I doing here?"  
"I understand that you recently lost your unborn child."  
  
Sydney sucked in her breath and looked over at her father and then back at Doctor Hart who was sitting behind her desk.  
  
"Yes...but I'm still not sure how this relates."  
"Your father is aware of your dislike of Gerard and he approached me, in hopes that I would be able to help you. I normally am the psychologist for high level agents, but I told your father that I would help you, after I heard what had happened."  
"That's very kind of you, but I won't need your services." Sydney said, rising from her chair. "Thank you, though."  
"Sydney. Sit down." Jack commanded, blocking her departure.  
"Excuse me, Dad. I have work."  
"You're not going anywhere."  
"Yes, I am."  
"I don't think you're aware of how this could benefit you." Jack said quietly, through clenched teeth, his eyes flickering to Doctor Hart who sat patiently in her chair.  
"Yes, I do! She's going to shrink me and think that she's made me better. But she won't. I'll still carry around the pain and the guilt..." Sydney hissed back.  
"She's not going to shrink you, Sydney. She's one of the best hypnotists in the Agency."  
"I don't want to relive it, Dad." Sydney said, understanding beginning to sink in. "I don't think I could handle it."  
"If you go through with this, you'll know who....who did this to you."  
  
Sydney bit her lower lip in concentration. She closed her eyes and opened them again to look Jack in the eyes.  
  
"Okay....Okay. I'll do it."  
  
Jack nodded in response and led Sydney back to the chair.  
  
"You made the right choice, Sydney." Doctor Hart said. "We can get started immediately if you like."  
"That would be fine."  
  
The three walked into a blindingly white room where numerous computers and machines were set up. Jack sat in one of the vacant chairs while Doctor Hart led Sydney into a charcoal gray room, separated from the white one by a thick sheet of glass.  
  
Sydney sat into the patient's chair and willingly allowed Doctor Hart to hook her up to various monitors. Doctor Hart explained what each one did, but Sydney unwittingly tuned her out, her nerves beginning to stand on edge with the prospect of having to relive that day.  
  
"Okay. We're almost ready."  
"Almost?" Sydney asked quizzically.  
  
Doctor Hart nodded.  
  
"I'll be right back. Don't worry. Try to calm down."  
  
Sydney exhaled a long breath and stared at her father in the white room, her image reflecting back to her. She looked in confusion as she saw that she was barely recognizable to herself. The wires cluttered her face and head, her eyes raw and dry from the constant tears, her nose red from boxes and boxes of tissues, and her smile that was ever so-present before had disappeared.  
  
The door that Doctor Hart had exited creaked open and she came in with somebody trailing behind her, in what seemed unsure and untarried steps, eventually approaching the patient's chair that Sydney was lying in. Doctor Hart walked across the charcoal room and entered to white one to sit with Jack.  
  
"Vaughn?" Sydney asked in confusion.  
"Hi, Syd." He greeted, pulling up an uncomfortable looking plastic chair to sit beside her.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I don't know." He said honestly, shrugging.  
  
They both looked to Jack and Doctor Hart for answers, receiving none.  
  
"I understand that this might be an uncomfortable situation for you both concerning your history together, but I want you to think past that. Agent Vaughn is here because I believe that he will trigger memories that you may not be aware that you had or memories that were blocked by your concussion." Doctor Hart said, her voice ringing clearly into the room.  
  
The two agents nodded.  
  
"Now, Agent Vaughn, I want you to take Sydney's hand. Sydney, I want you to close your eyes and start counting every breath that you exhale. Clear your mind, relax."  
  
Sydney obeyed and she could feel herself slipping into the dark pool of sub consciousness. She counted every breath she exhaled, but she could feel her own eagerness to begin swimming laps in that dark pool.  
  
"Good, Sydney. You're doing great." Doctor Hart's voice came, soothingly. "Now I want you think really hard. Think back to that mission. Are you there?"  
"Yes." Sydney answered her voice breathy and calm.  
"I want you to tell me what you see."  
"I see....I see a long hallway."  
"What color is it? Is it lighted?"  
"The walls and the tiles are white. I feel...I feel the heat coming from the lights above my head. They're long and fluorescent."  
"Good, you have a great memory Sydney." Doctor Hart said encouragingly, as if she were speaking to a small child. "What do you hear? What do you feel?"  
"I feel cautious...a bit nervous." Sydney frowned. "I hear a loud clatter of metal, as if something fell."  
"Go towards the sound, Sydney. What do you see now?"  
"I see blood...a lot of it...on the ground. It's a thick ribbon of red, almost like a trail."  
"Are you going to follow the trail, Sydney?" Doctor Hart asked.  
"Yes." Sydney's calm body tensed.  
"What happened, Sydney?" Doctor Hart asked. "Did you see something?"  
"I see somebody slumped on the floor. He's bleeding from the chest. He's been shot."  
"What are you doing?"  
"I'm bending down to check if he's alive."  
"Is he?"  
"No." Sydney answered.  
"Do you hear something, Sydney?"  
"Yes. Soft footsteps from behind."  
"What are you doing now?"  
"I'm fighting her."  
"Are you attacks successful?"  
"No...She's strong, quick reflexes..."  
  
Sydney took a sharp intake of air.  
  
"What happened, Sydney?"  
"She knocked my gun out of my hand and she kicked me."  
"In the stomach?"  
"Yes." Sydney said nodding, tears slipping down her cheeks.  
  
Vaughn reached up and brushed them away with his thumb, never letting go of his hold on her hand.  
  
"Are you on the ground?"  
"Yes. She's bending over me."  
"Do you know who it is, Sydney? Can you tell from behind the mask?"  
  
Silence followed.  
  
"Yes." Sydney whispered. "I know who it is."  
"Okay. Sydney, you did an amazing job. I'm sorry you had to go through the pain again, but I'm going to bring you back now. I want you to relax your mind as much as you can. Are you still with me Sydney?"  
"Yes."  
"Good. Now, deep breaths, okay? Count when you inhale. When I count to five, I want you to open your eyes and focus, okay? One....Two....Three....Four....Five....open your eyes."  
  
Sydney's eyes fluttered open and she was suddenly aware of Vaughn's tight grip on her hand. She turned her head to look at him, and he quickly loosened his grip and withdrew his hand, slightly embarrassed.  
  
Jack strode into the room and looked at Sydney with worried eyes.  
  
"Are you okay, Sydney?"  
"I'm fine, Dad." She said wearily.  
"Tell me who it was."  
"It was the woman who was pretending to be Mariana Veltri in Venezuela."  
"Are you sure?" Jack asked.  
"I'm positive. When she kicked me...it was as if she KNEW that I was pregnant. It was as if she wanted me to miscarry."  
  
Jack inhaled sharply, his anger beginning to get the better of him.  
  
"Don't worry, Sydney. I'll take care of this." He said and walked quickly out of the room.  
"I better go." Vaughn said, rising from the chair. He saw Sydney's pleading eyes and added, "I'll follow your dad."  
"Thank you."  
  
Vaughn nodded and walked past Doctor Hart who was entering the charcoal room to assist Sydney in removing the numerous wires.  
  
"I hope that helped you in your search, Sydney."  
"It did...thank you."  
"It was my pleasure."  
  
Doctor Hart reached up to remove a wire, but Sydney stopped her.  
  
"Wait."  
"Yes?"  
"Can we go further...after the incident? Maybe, if I woke up but I wasn't aware..." Sydney ventured.  
"Of course...I want you to do exactly like you did earlier."  
  
Sydney complied and moments later she was back at the sub conscious pool.  
  
"It's going to be harder this time, Sydney, because you won't remember this incident but I want you to think as hard as you can. I want you to think about perhaps, sleeping or being airlifted out of the building. Can you do that for me?"  
"Yes."  
"Good. Now, Sydney, what do you see?"  
"I see....medical equipment, monitors, doctors, and...."  
"And?" Doctor Hart prompted.  
"That's it." Sydney lied.  
"Do you know where you are?"  
"In a hospital."  
"The one in Los Angeles?"  
"No...I think I'm in Maryland."  
"Yes, you were. That's good. Do you want to go any further?"  
"No."  
"Okay...Clear your mind and when I count to five....open your eyes."  
  
Sydney's eyes shot open upon command.  
  
"Did you find what you wanted?" Doctor Hart asked casually. She knew that there was something Sydney wasn't telling her.  
"Yea...I just wanted know where I was before I was transferred to Los Angeles." Sydney lied again.  
  
She and Doctor Hart removed the wires from her head and Sydney climbed out of the chair and walked into the hallway with Doctor Hart walking behind her. She waved to Doctor Hart and started the long trek down the hallway to the elevator.  
  
"Good luck, Sydney." Doctor Hart said suddenly and walked into her office.  
  
Sydney whirled around and stared intently at the wall that Doctor Hart had been leaning on. Sydney knew that Doctor Hart had caught on to her lie, but she couldn't shake what she had seen and heard from her mind.  
  
Her heels clicked on the tile and she stepped into the elevator, leaning her head against the wall.  
  
She had seen Vaughn. His jade eyes had been watching her with such concern and anxiety that she had barely been able to breathe. She felt his strong hold on her hand, as if he feared that if he let go she would disappear. But most of all, she remembered his words.  
  
'Don't leave me, Sydney. I'm here. I'm here for you. Just...just don't leave me.'  
  
--  
  
Author's Note: Whoa...that was a long chapter! Welps, can't make a long chapter's note and answer everybody's questions (although I will get to that) because I have two people on my tail getting me to upload! (LOL. Laura and H)  
  
For the code, just take the first letter of every word and put it together. HAVE ARRIVED is capitalized and is therefore NOT part of the code.  
  
Yes, Sydney was kind of...irked...because Scott called her "Syd" and that's like a "Vaughn-thing" just like her calling him Vaughn instead of Michael is a "Syd-thing".  
  
Special thanks to everybody that reviewed!!!  
  
Jen 


	31. Realization

Chap.31- Realization  
  
Lauren paid the taxi driver and thanked him as he set her luggage on her front step. Rummaging in her purse, her fingers finally touched the cool metal of her house keys and she extracted them, placing the key in the keyhole and pushing the door open. She carried her luggage over the threshold and into the bedroom, finally dropping them onto the floor and collapsing in her bed.  
  
Her thoughts wandered to Vaughn and she smiled. Despite all the arguments they had, she had counted down the days until she would come home. She rolled over to his side of the bed, burying her face in his pillow, searching for his scent.  
  
She could only smell his sweat that lingered and she imagined him coming home from a vigorous workout and collapsing on the bed, just as she had. She wrinkled her nose and flipped his pillow over, preparing to fall asleep to a short nap.  
  
Her forehead creased into frown lines and she buried her face in the pillow deeper, smelling a faint feminine scent that couldn't possibly be Vaughn's. Her frown lines disappeared and she began to smile, wondering what perfume of hers that he had sprayed in hopes of recapturing her presence in the house. She smelled the pillow again and she got up from the bed to look in her perfume drawer.  
  
After smelling each one, her smile disappeared. It wasn't any of hers.  
  
But she rationalized with the nagging thought in her head; maybe the scent came from the laundry or an air deodorizer. She silently admonished herself and she walked out of the bathroom, her eye catching on the full laundry hamper.  
  
Lauren caught herself sighing loudly in frustration that Vaughn couldn't even do the laundry while she was away. She had only been gone for ten days and her house looked as if it had when they had first moved in. She located a laundry basket and started to transfer armfuls of clothing from the heavy hamper into the basket, just as she always had. But she soon began to weary of the time consuming act and gritting her teeth, she lifted the hamper up and dumped the contents into the basket.  
  
Satisfied, she bent down to lift the basket when her eye caught a stranded article of clothing that had caught onto the bottom of the wicker hamper. Lauren straightened up again and moved to the hamper, squatting and releasing the clothing after a few moments of untangling.  
  
She stared at what she had in her hand and broke into tears, falling into a heap on the floor.  
  
He had cheated on her.  
  
--  
  
"Agent Voyer, you have a delivery." A secretary's voice said, ringing through the telephone of Sydney's desk.  
"Thank you." Sydney replied, standing up and buttoning her jacket.  
  
She walked down to the front desk where a huge bouquet of flowers was thrust at her. The vase was partially wet and the flowers were cluttered and uneven with petals and leaves falling as she walked. She reached her desk and set it down, extracting the card. She noticed the rip of the paper walked back down to the front desk.  
  
"Excuse me, but has this been opened?" Sydney asked, showing the agent stationed near the desk the envelope.  
  
He shrugged and looked at her apologetically.  
  
"Sorry. It's standard operating procedure. We had to check for bugs."  
  
Sydney nodded and walked back to her desk to read the card.  
  
'Sorry that I haven't been there for you these past few days, the hospital's been hectic. I know that the flowers will probably be butchered by the security, but don't worry. I'll make it up to you. -Scott'  
  
The smile on Sydney's face widened and the doubts that she had had vanished completely.  
  
"Nice flowers." Mark commented, walking by while eating an apple.  
"Thanks."  
"From the hubby?" He asked.  
"Yea."  
"I don't even want to think about what you did." He grimaced.  
"What are you talking about?" She asked, confused.  
"Be right back." He said, walking in the direction of the front desk.  
  
He came back with an even larger bouquet of flowers in his arms, almost tripping due his reduced visual field.  
  
"What are those?" Sydney asked in wonderment, beginning to feel embarrassed due to the multiple stares and attention she was receiving.  
"They were just delivered." Mark said, grinning widely to show that he was just joking with her before.  
  
Sydney slapped him on the arm in good humor, but he winced from the blow. She laughed and slit the card open with her finger. Her eyes quickly scanned the card and she shoved the flowers at Mark.  
  
"Bring these to security! I want him to check for bugs, cameras, anything!" Sydney said quickly, shoving the bouquet at Mark.  
  
He hurriedly put his half-eaten apple between his teeth and carried the bouquet to security as fast as he could without falling. Sydney walked briskly to her father's office and swung the door open, interrupting the meeting that was being held.  
  
Jack looked up, his mouth opened to protest, but he saw the expression upon her face. He excused himself from the other members of the room for a brief moment and followed her to an empty conference room.  
  
"What is it?" He asked.  
  
Sydney showed him the card and he scanned it quickly.  
  
'Agent Voyer, I commend you for your spectacular fighting performance in Bosnia-Herzegovina although I do recommend you to brush up on your defense. I see that you have identified my agent and it makes me impatient to wonder when we will meet again. So sorry for your loss. -A Gentleman.'  
  
Jack threw the card onto the table and remarked grimly,  
  
"That is disgusting."  
"I know, but aside from that, we can assume that this man has been following me. But I don't how. I don't know why. He has to have resources, money, power..."  
"Sydney. I told you that I would take care of this and I will. You have to give me time though, to research, and to analyze. We won't be able to figure this out overnight."  
  
--  
  
Vaughn left the office earlier than he normally would, knowing from Lauren's phone call last night, that she would expect him too. He walked into the house and was unnerved to find it silent and dark, as if there wasn't anybody home.  
  
Panic rushed through his body and he couldn't help but wonder what had happened. He checked the bedroom and the study. Without any further inclination to why he had found the house as it was, he walked into the kitchen to see Lauren sitting silently at the dining room table.  
  
"Lauren! How was your trip? Why are you sitting here in the dark?" Vaughn asked. He frowned when she didn't answer him. "Lauren, what's the matter?"  
  
Lauren lifted her eyes to meet Vaughn's and she shot him a look.  
  
"I was hoping you could explain something to me." She started airily.  
"Yea, whatever you need..."  
"Whatever I need?"  
"Yea...Lauren, why are acting like this?"  
"Michael. What I need...is for you to explain why you let another woman sleep in our bed." Lauren slurred.  
"What?" Vaughn asked in panic. "Are you drunk?"  
"Drunk? No. I don't get drunk." Lauren laughed.  
"You need to sleep." Vaughn started, grasping her by the upper arms and starting to lift her up.  
  
She stood up indignantly, shaking herself from his grasp.  
  
"Don't. Touch. Me." She hissed.  
"Lauren, I did not cheat on you. You have to believe me. You have to let me explain." Vaughn pleaded, although he had no idea how she knew that Sydney had slept in their bed.  
"Sure. Of course you didn't. I can still smell her, Michael. You better have a good explanation." Lauren cackled, jabbing her finger at her.  
  
"A woman did sleep on our bed. But I didn't sleep with her!" Vaughn explained hurriedly. "She was depressed....she didn't have anybody else."  
"So she came running to you. How convenient for you. I suppose you just slept on the couch then, didn't you?"  
"I did." Vaughn said earnestly.  
  
Lauren began to laugh deliriously and she threw the article of clothing that she had found under the hamper in Vaughn's face.  
  
"That..." Lauren said, "Is not mine."  
  
Vaughn looked at the lacy black underwear and his mind went back to the incident where he and Sydney had accidentally switched suitcases. When he dumped her clothes back into the hamper, it must have dropped and...  
  
'Oh, shit.' He thought.  
  
Lauren looked at him with a look of disgust.  
  
"It's my co-worker's." He started. "We accidentally switched suitcases and we didn't know..."  
"Stop it." Lauren said, glaring at him and cutting him off. "Michael, those are probably the worst lies I have EVER heard in my life. Why don't you, just have the dignity and pride to admit to what you've done."  
"Because I didn't do anything," Vaughn cried, well aware of how lame his "excuses" must have sounded, although they were the complete truth.  
"Always the agent," Lauren said, walking into the master bedroom leaving Vaughn standing in the kitchen.  
  
She picked up her suitcases that she had not yet unpacked and walked into the kitchen to confront Vaughn again.  
  
"Where are you going?" Vaughn asked, although he already knew her answer.  
"I was hoping that it wouldn't have to end this way." Lauren said, ignoring his question. "I guess I knew that our marriage could never work. There was always someone else, wasn't there?"  
  
Vaughn nodded. In fact, throughout all the years Sydney had always been there, physical or emotional, she had taken a toll on his marriage and now the damaged ties were being severed completely.  
  
"Lauren..."  
"Just tell me." Lauren said, cutting him off again. "Is she prettier than me? Funnier? What does she have that I don't? I gave my whole self to you, Michael, and you didn't even give me half! Tell me, what did I ever do to you?"  
"Please, Lauren. Don't do this..."  
  
Tears streamed down Lauren's face and she bit her lower lip.  
  
"You'll be hearing from my lawyer, Michael Vaughn."  
  
-- Author's Note: WHOOO.....that was a great pleasure to write. Are we all happy now? ::nods:: Bye bye, Lauren!!!  
  
Teeheehee. That was mean.  
  
But anyways here we go:  
  
Linz- Ahah! Your review totally cracked me up. That was great. And yes, I totally agree with you. I would love to have somebody like Scott. Hehe, maybe you'll find something wrong with him....later on.  
  
Jayme- You're doing your French project on Michael Vartan? Good girl! That's what I would do...why not make it fun while you're at it, right?  
  
Thank you EVERYBODY who reviewed. They make me so happy! Oh poo...FF.net is being a poohead, which means that I'll have to upload this some other time than now. =(  
  
I'm sorry! Ahh! I'm so frustrated! Stupid AMAs...taking my beloved Alias' time slot for next Sunday!!!!  
  
Jen 


	32. Glory

Chap.32- Glory  
  
Vaughn hesitated as he reached out and rang the doorbell of the house. He looked around him, the silence of the familiar neighborhood suffocating him. The bright front lights snapped on and the door swung open.  
  
"Vaughn! Do you know what TIME it is?" Eric mumbled grumpily, standing in the doorway.  
"You look tired." Vaughn observed casually.  
"Me? Tired? Oh no, it's only two o'clock in the morning. Why would I be tired?" Eric remarked sarcastically. "Ok. Yes, I am tired. You're the genius."  
  
He moved out of the doorway and Vaughn followed him into the house and into the kitchen. Lisa was sitting at the table, yawning as she watched the coffeemaker that was happily dripping away.  
  
"Did I wake all of you?" Vaughn asked, concerned.  
"No." Lisa answered assuringly. "You see, we have a three-year old son who appears to get too many naps in the daytime. You, on the other hand, are lucky enough not to have children. Have I ever mentioned that I'm jealous?"  
  
Vaughn grinned as he walked to sit at the table across from Lisa and Eric. Eric frowned.  
  
"Mike, have you been drinking?"  
  
Vaughn ran his hand through his hair tiredly and nodded.  
  
"It wasn't a lot."  
"At this hour?!" Eric exclaimed.  
  
Lisa sighed and hit her husband on the arm, glaring at him.  
  
"Michael, what happened with Lauren?" She asked softly.  
  
Vaughn jerked his head up to look at Lisa, surprised at her perceptiveness. After a moment's deliberation,  
  
"She left me."  
  
Eric and Lisa looked at Vaughn in shock; the coffee that had finished brewing was ignored. Jake's screams erupted from upstairs when he woke up alone and without the presence of his mother. Lisa sighed and bolted from her chair and up the stairs.  
  
"What the hell happened, Vaughn?" Eric asked seriously.  
"She thought I was cheating on her."  
"What?" Weiss exclaimed in disbelief. "Were you?"  
"NO!" Vaughn said vehemently. "She said that she 'smelled' Sydney and she found her underwear somewhere..."  
"Whoa. Whoa. Back up." Eric interrupted. "I heard 'Sydney'. What does this have to do with Sydney?"  
  
Vaughn sighed again and he accepted the steaming cup of coffee offered to him by Eric. Wrapping his hands around hot cup, he looked up.  
  
"Sydney was pregnant and she didn't tell anybody because Kendall was lacking field agents. I don't know why, but I just felt responsible and so I volunteered to go on the series of missions with her." Vaughn paused and struggled for words, wishing that Eric still worked for the Agency so he could get more off of his chest.  
"Go on." Eric encouraged.  
"So after a couple, we went on this one and while I was busy with the rest of the team, she heard something and went ahead. I called after her, told her not to, but you know how she is."  
"Oh yea, stubborn as hell..."  
"She miscarried." Vaughn said. "I was with her at the hospital, you know that."  
  
Eric nodded.  
  
"How is this relevant again?" He asked in confusion.  
"I was getting there."  
"Oh."  
"I never told you, but the day that she was admitted out of the hospital, she called me to pick her up. Later that night, she came over to my house. Sydney was soaking and shivering....she was crying."  
  
Eric raised his eyebrows and Vaughn nodded.  
  
"Doesn't she have a husband?"  
"He was at a medical conference; Lauren was at her aunt's in Chicago..."  
"You two didn't....you know..."  
"NO!"  
"Okay! Okay!" Eric exclaimed, both hands raised in surrender. "So, what happened?"  
"She was really upset. She just lost her child and she blamed herself for everything. We just sat there, really...talking."  
"That's it?"  
"That's it."  
"So what's this about smelling her?"  
"Sydney fell asleep in the armchair and so I carried her to the bed and I went to sleep on the couch. When I woke up in the morning, she was gone. It was like she wasn't even there the night earlier."  
"Do I have to remind you at how good she is at her job?"  
"She's pretty damn good at her job." Vaughn agreed.  
  
The two were silent for a while.  
  
"Hey, man. I know that you loved Lauren and I don't mean to be harsh here, but do you think that you could have been insanely happy with Lauren beside you, the rest of your life?"  
"No. Never insanely happy."  
"Well there you go." Eric concluded. "If it makes you feel any better, I never really liked her anyways."  
  
Vaughn snorted.  
  
"This is the man who was beside himself with jealousy before he met Lisa?"  
  
As if on cue, Lisa appeared back in the kitchen and sat down again.  
  
"What are we talking about?"  
  
Eric looked threatingly at Vaughn and put his arm around his wife's shoulders.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
--  
  
Vaughn sat waiting and the click of heels interrupted his thoughts. He looked up and Kendall's secretary smiled at him.  
  
"Mr. Kendall will see you now."  
"Thank you." He answered politely, walking past her into the room and shutting the door after him.  
  
Kendall looked up from the work on his desk as Vaughn strode into the room.  
  
"Have a seat." Kendall motioned. "I'll be with you in a second."  
  
He scribbled some comments on the paper and closed the folder, reluctantly looking up at Vaughn.  
  
"Mr. Kendall..." Vaughn ventured.  
"Yes, what can I do for you?"  
"I would like to be put on active field duty, sir. Immediately."  
  
Kendall looked curiously at Vaughn and his sudden change of heart, but it didn't really matter to him 'why', just that he had another field agent.  
  
"Done."  
  
--  
  
Sydney looked up at the clock and fingered the envelope in her pocket as she walked to the debriefing that was suddenly called by Kendall.  
  
She had received another bouquet of flowers and letter from the 'Gentleman'. Resisting the urge to throw up and shred the letter to pieces, she discreetly slipped it into her father's suit pocket and took her seat.  
  
Kendall called the start of the debriefing and Jack looked around the room at each agent.  
  
"Arvin Sloane is dead."  
  
Their faces were expressionless and none looked surprised. Sloane had delicate health and doctors didn't know if he would make it to the next month.  
  
"He was garroted with a two piano wires."  
"What?!" Sydney asked in shock.  
"But, he was in CIA custody. There are surveillance cameras, security guards..." Ana reasoned.  
"Security cameras were down for five minutes yesterday afternoon." James answered. "Routine check."  
"The guards blacked out. When they regained consciousness, he was already dead and cameras were back on, but still, nobody."  
"Are you even going to investigate into the case?" Vaughn asked.  
"Considering that he was a threat to America's safety, probably not much to avenge his murder, but if his murderer poses a threat to this agency then yes, Agent Vaughn...it is my DUTY to investigate into this case." Kendall said.  
  
The room was silent for a moment and Jack looked at his watch, noting that they should conclude.  
  
"Polygraph tests will be issued throughout the month and oh yes, Agents Lee, Jamison, Chaplin, and Voyer; please welcome Agent Vaughn into your team as a permanent member and newly activated field agent. Dismissed."  
  
They walked out of the debriefing and standing in the hallway, Ana looked at Mark and James in glee, clapping her hands.  
  
"Do you know what this means?" She asked them happily.  
"What?"  
"You two owe me a penny, each! I'm two cents richer!" She said, grinning madly.  
  
They looked at her in confusion for a moment and their minds wandered back to their bet in France.  
  
"I'm shaking my fist at you." Mark said, shaking his fist at her. "Curses! Curses!"  
  
He grudgingly slapped a penny into her expectant palm and James followed suit. She cackled, holding her two pennies up in victory.  
  
"It's TWO pennies..." A voice said behind her in exasperation.  
  
Ana whirled around and smiled widely.  
  
"Marshall, Marshall, Marshall...."  
"What? What? What? Why are you saying my name three times? Three is not exactly my lucky number because, uh, you see when I was three I fell down the stairs and broke my leg in three places and my, uh, my mom said that we had to wait three hours..."  
"Marshall!" Ana exclaimed.  
"Sorry." He said sheepishly.  
"Don't worry about it." She said, walking over to him and putting her arm around his shoulders in a friendly way, held her two pennies in-between her thumb and forefinger and up in the air, admiring them from afar. "You see, it's not about the value. But it's ALL about the glory..."  
  
--  
  
Author's Note: I'm so sorry, you guys! But hey, it's another chapter! Yes, well this week has been a poo for me so, I wasn't really in the mood to write and I just had so many tests....and homework...  
  
School, bleh.  
  
But anyways! Thank you to all that reviewed!  
  
Jayme: You got me up to 200! Thank yoo! Here is the chapter you wanted! I mean, it's 12:35 in the morning and I WAS going to just go to sleep and finish it later today, but oh no! Jenzeebunny, eh? That's yet, another, one to add to my list of nicknames. Oh dear, it just keeps growin'! LOL. It's a wonder what people do when their bored....Oh and no, I am not dead. Hehe. Did you know that I actually did think about that before? If I died, who would let everybody that reads my story know? Would they think that I've GIVEN UP on my elaborate plan and ending? ::GASP!::  
  
Naughty-Spy: Thank you too!!! You, wow, got me all those reviews! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Hehe. I'm so glad you have faith in me! Your reviews are so great! They boost my ego so much! LOL. Jush kidding! But no, really. Thank you (yet again) for your awesome compliments and encouragement. I hope you'll like the rest of the story just as much!  
  
Reesie06: Warning! Do not become sleep-deprived! Really, it makes you an awful person, like I was a couple of days ago. You're smart. Split it up! That's it! Splitting-action! Karate chop! LOL. Yes, I'm weird. And tired. That too. Oh there I go again, sleep-deprivedness...  
  
Ahh! I'm so sorry I can't respond to everybody's reviews, but I'm just so dizzy from the clicking back and forth from browser to browser. But if you did review, feel OH SO SPECIAL and I'll be sure to get you next time when I'm not such a bad, lazy person.  
  
Bad bad me.  
  
But, I must say, I did enjoy reading those great "one-liners" about Lauren being gone. Oh yes, they were funny.  
  
Good job! Good job!  
  
Jen 


	33. Rhythm of the Rain

Chap. 33- Rhythm of the Rain

It had been a slow and unusual month. 

Sydney, of course, had been shocked to hear that Lauren had left Vaughn and that he hadn't heard from her since. She and Vaughn rarely talked about anything other than work anymore. The fact that he was now 'available' seemed to penetrate every thought that formed in her mind, quickly subsided by a quick self-admonishment and the sparkle of her engagement ring from her husband.

Scott. 

Her head hurt to think about their relationship, let alone analyze it. Every night when she slipped between the sheets and began to fall asleep, the dreams would come.

Sometimes they would be forgiving. Sydney would dream about what her child would have looked like, what it would have felt like to hold it and care for it. Some nights it would be a boy. Some nights it would be a girl. 

But in reality, the child would always remain an 'it' and she hated herself for that. 

Scott understood. She knew that he blamed himself for even agreeing to go on the mission at all. He knew that her job was a dangerous one. He could have lost her too. Sydney could have bled to death.

But she didn't. He had Vaughn to thank for that.

Vaughn.

--

Vaughn stood by the window, looking out into the dark night sky. In his hand, he held a glass of water, the ice tinkling on the sides. 

He looked around him at the empty house and the dimly lit room. The corners of his lips tugged into a slight smile. He had forgotten what it felt like to be a bachelor. His smile disappeared when Vaughn remembered what day it was.

He half-ran into the study to double-check, but it was the day, the second date that he would never forget. 

Vaughn walked slowly into the kitchen and sat heavily onto a chair. He leaned his head against the chalky white wall and thought back five years into the past. 

--

_It poured the whole day. It didn't just rain. It poured._
    
    **_Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain_**
    
    **_Telling me just what a fool I've been_**

**_I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain_**

_Vaughn shook his head in disbelief when he backed out the car from the apartment complex garage. The tiny garden in which Lauren had planted her flowers overflowed with water and the mud streamed down over the sides of the plant box._

_He was almost immediately called into a debriefing the moment he step foot in the Ops center and was preoccupied with paperwork the rest of the day. _

_When it came time to go home, Vaughn frowned. He felt as if something was missing. Something **big was missing. **_

_Sydney__._

_He rubbed his face in disbelief. How could he have **forgotten**_** _her? Was it the same for her? The past six months had been hell for the both of them, yes, but could she have been so intent on avoiding him that she had forgotten him?_**

_Vaughn jumped out of his seat and walked to her desk, finding it immaculate and empty of her. He frowned again. She wasn't at the debriefing...she wasn't **anywhere.**_

_Panic rushed through his body. In a frantic and in his moment of frenzy, he ran into Jack Bristow._

_Muttering an apology and practically hearing his own bones cracking, he looked Jack in the eye. Vaughn knew that was what Jack wanted to do. He wanted to torture him to the extent that Vaughn would feel the same hurt that __Sydney__ was feeling. _

_Vaughn almost cried. Jack wouldn't need to do much._

_            "Seeing your state of such distress and anxiety, running around this office, I presume that you're looking for something." Jack started, his eyes boring into Vaughn's brain and reading his thoughts, pulling it apart. Picking and analyzing. "Am I right to conclude that you're looking for my daughter?"_

_            "Yes, sir," Vaughn said nodding. "Would you-"_

_            "Know where she is?" Jack finished. Not waiting for Vaughn to answer he continued without the slightest trace of emotion or pity. He looked casually at his watch. "__Sydney__ is aboard a plane that will bring her to a safe place. A good place...far away from things or **people-"**_

_            "Flight?" Vaughn asked in shock, his mouth dry, cutting Jack off abruptly._
    
    **_The only girl I care about has gone away_**
    
    **_Looking for a brand new start_**
    
    **_But little does she know that when she left that day_**
    
    **_Along with her she took my heart_**

_            "Yes, Mr. Vaughn. A flight. Good-night." Jack said curtly, turning to leave and walking away briskly._

_            "No, wait! Wait!" Vaughn shouted, catching up to Jack in the parking lot. "Where is she going? You have to tell me! You-"_

_            "I **have to tell you?" Jack asked with menace. He stopped and turned around to face Vaughn, towering over him with apparent rage. "Mr. Vaughn, my impatience with you is running low. I only tolerated you before because my daughter seemed to **care** for you. If I may remind you, you have no connection with my daughter any longer and I therefore do not have to tolerate you. To be blunt, you don't ****deserve my daughter and in turn, you do not **deserve **to know where she is headed or where she is going. Knowing your persistence, Mr. Vaughn, you may eventually find out sooner or later, but it will never be from ****me. It's getting late. Now, why don't you run along home to your **wife**?"**_

_ Jack turned and got into his car, speeding off into the thunderstorm. Vaughn slumped in defeat, sitting on the painted yellow curb._
    
    **_Rain please tell me now does that seem fair_**
    
    **_For her to steal my heart away when she don't care_**
    
    **_I can't love another when my heart's somewhere far away_**
    
    **_The only girl I care about has gone away_**
    
    **_Looking for a brand new start_**
    
    **_But little does she know that when she left that day_**
    
    **_Along with her she took my heart_**

_Twenty minutes later, Vaughn slowly stood up and walked into the office and to his desk. The majority of the staff had already gone home and the custodians were beginning to file in. He walked to his office corner and froze. _

_There she sat, illuminated by his desk lamp in the gloom of the night office. Her hair was dripping from the heavy rain and she was completely soaked through._

_            "Vaughn!" She exclaimed in shock._

_            "Syd? What are you doing here? Your dad said you were on a flight, somewhere. He wouldn't tell me, I..."_

_            "I was on a flight. I...I couldn't leave without saying goodbye. I guess I wanted to leave on good terms. I wanted you to know that I forgive you." Sydney smiled. "That's all. I have to go, Vaughn. A late-night flight to catch. I'll see you soon."_

_With that Sydney ran off into the long dark hallway without another word. _
    
    **_Rain won't you tell her that I love her so_**
    
    **_Please ask the sun to set her heart aglow_**
    
    Rain in her heart and let the love we knew start to grow**__**

_Vaughn didn't know what to do but stand idly by his desk. He sat down into the seat that Sydney had just occupied and jumped up, staring at the seat. _

_His pants were dry. The seat was dry._

_It had all been a figment of his imagination. She had left him to go god-knows where. She hadn't even hesitated. She hadn't even called or written him a good-bye letter. _

_But then again, Jack was right. He didn't deserve any of those things. He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve anything._

_He got into his car and his subconscious drove him to the airport. He sat in a waiting chair for an hour, half expecting her to fly out and greet him again; half-expecting himself to get up a buy a ticket._

_But to where?_

_He realized how badly he missed her, how badly he wanted her, how badly he **needed her.**_

'It's getting late. Now, why don't you run along home to your **wife**?'

_Vaughn sighed and he got up from the hard plastic chair, sliding behind the steering wheel and drove home in silence._
    
    **_Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain_**
    
    **_Telling me just what a fool I've been_**
    
    **_I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain_**
    
    **_And let me be alone again_**

**_Oh listen to the falling rain_**

_When he parked his car in the parking lot, he sat there for a good ten minutes. In those ten minutes, he didn't **almost **cry._

**_He did cry_**_._

--

It was the day that he would learn to regret. It was the day that he wished he could redo. It was the day that he cried from a broken heart.

It was the day he had let Sydney Bristow go.

--

A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry, I've been so MIA lately. I just really wasn't in a writing mood. Very bad writer's block. Blegh.

But it's over now. I hope.

This chapter's a little "different". I think it's the writing technique. I'm not really all that sure. I guess that from the time of the last chapter until tonight, there's just been a lot of stuff that had opened my eyes a little wider and so this chapter's kind of my "revelation".

Tell me what you think.

Samanta: Hey! I got your email, thank you for it. I couldn't respond to it because you said that your email is jacked. I couldn't really review to any of your stories because I don't know where you post or what any of your stories are. So, I hope you get this! Thanks again.

Also, thank you so much to everyone that reviewed: windrider50000, Ms.MV, RJS, landi104 (ahh! I'm so sorry! Whenever you talk to me on AIM, I'm always 'away' and when I get back YOU'RE gone!! Next time! I promise!), Maddy, supergirl14, Laura, Kaley Bugs, Jayme (a.k.a. Naughty-Spy ; yes, I would like to thank ALL of your multi-personalities for their reviews too. LOL. Just kidding!), Ty-Ty, Reesie06, star16, Welly, M, Lor, annie, serendipity112233, Emililim

I hope that's everybody!

And I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. Tell me if you have any suggestions, inquiries, or complaints! Review, email, AIM, whatever!

Thanks!

Jen

P.S. The song, "Rhythm of the Rain", belongs to the Cascades, not me! 


	34. Nightmares

Chap. 34- Nightmares  
  
A month of life stealthily slipped away from the grappling fingers of those craving and yearning for time. Sydney was not one of those people. She rather enjoyed watching the days fly by. The days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and she knew that eventually, months turned to years.  
  
The faster that time flew by, the less time she had to think about her dead child and how she had failed to avenge its murder. She, Sydney Bristow Voyer, could not catch the person responsible. She, who people consider to be one of the most prestigious clandestine agents in the Agency.  
  
--  
  
The windows were flung open, in a desperate yet futile attempt to replace the stuffy air inside the house with even the slightest breeze. The fan generated a small stream of air that Scott directed at Sydney. She smiled and in the contrasting mix of temperatures, she fell into a light sleep.  
  
In the dead of night, Sydney gasped loudly as she woke up from one of her recurring nightmares. Sitting up in bed and taking deep breaths, she began to calm down when she became reassured that it was only a dream.  
  
Suddenly, she frowned and a minute detail that she and her father had overlooked came to her. Quickly, with a bit of difficulty, she untangled herself from the tangle of sheets that had been kicked aside.  
  
"Sydney?" Scott murmured groggily from the bed. "It's two in the morning. Where are you going?"  
"I have to go into work."  
"Now?"  
"Yeah, but don't worry. I'll be back really soon."  
  
Sydney froze until she heard his head flop back onto the pillow. She padded into the dressing room and pulled on a simple suit while running a brush through her hair. In the car, she extracted her phone from her purse and dialed her father's number.  
  
"Hello?" Jack asked, his voice sounding as awake as he would in the middle of the day.  
"Dad, it's me."  
"What's wrong?" He asked immediately.  
"Nothing." Sydney assured him. "I have a hunch, but it's too hard for me to explain over the phone. I'm heading to your place right now."  
"Okay. I'll see you soon."  
  
--  
  
Jack handed Sydney a cup of coffee and sat across from her in the living room. She accepted it gratefully, sipping at it gingerly and finally setting it on the coffee table in front of her.  
  
"It's safe to talk in here." Jack said, indicating her to start talking.  
"We both have been after this person for two months now, and we've been getting nowhere. I was sleeping and I woke up from one of my nightmares and I realized that we've been searching for this person as 'the gentleman'. When I went back to look at the cards that he left me, it's signed 'a gentleman'," Sydney explained.  
"Are you saying that we've completely gone about this in the wrong way?"  
"Maybe not," she answered. "Maybe we're just looking at this from the wrong perspective."  
"What do you mean?"  
"We're looking at this like it's someone from outside penetrating in."  
"It could be someone that works in the Agency." Jack concluded, nodding in agreement. "It could be someone from inside. It's possible."  
"I don't know if you noticed this, but..." Sydney trailed off, digging in a purse for a pen and paper. She wrote something on it and handed it to Jack.  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"We looked right past this. It was right here, always was. We looked right past the simplest technique and jumped to the complicated ones. It also explains how it got past security."  
"What?"  
"I saw the tapes. Scott sent you flowers that day and if I recall correctly, they were butchered in security. The second set of flowers that you received though, were perfectly fine."  
"That's right."  
"Put on your coat, we're heading to the Ops center now."  
  
--  
  
The father and daughter pair strode into the Ops center at three in the morning. Jack ushered Sydney into the main computer room and calling in another agent.  
  
"Agent Cabot, this is Agent Sydney Voyer. Sydney, Agent Cabot." Jack introduced and continued. "Agent Cabot has been helping me in this operation. He's field rated, but mostly works in Analysis and is a software specialist. Recently, he's developed a program for the Agency which allows access to the complete database of employees."  
"Hi." Cabot greeted.  
"Hi." Sydney smiled. She quickly explained to him what she and Jack had concluded before and Cabot nodded.  
"That makes perfect sense. What I don't understand is why you need me."  
"We need your access to the database." Jack said. "It hasn't been approved yet, but we need it now."  
"Okay. Well, you've concluded that this person is an agent in the Agency, but that's not good enough. I need a name, maybe even a writing sample if things get too messy."  
"I have a writing sample." Sydney offered, handing him one of the cards. "The name...we're not too sure of the name, but it's a hunch."  
"Well, anything would be good to start off on."  
  
Jack extracted the paper that Sydney had written on from his coat pocket and handed it to Cabot who expressed the same disbelief that Jack had.  
  
"It's good. Very possible. I see it now. We've been searching for 'the gentleman' when we really want 'a gentleman'. You just shift the space and you get 'Agent Leman'. That's so brilliant it's kind of stupid. Brilliant because it's so...simple; stupid because well, I mean, it's right there. It won't take long for someone to eventually figure it out." Cabot ranted in frustration. He took a deep breath.  
"Will you be able to start off of that?"  
"Yes, of course. I have a name. It'll take a while, of course." Cabot answered, his fingers already nimbly recalling his program from the hard drive. A few minutes later, he entered his search and scanned the writing sample into the computer.  
  
Sydney looked on as the green progress bar slowly inched by on the monitor.  
  
"How long do you think it will take?" Sydney asked.  
"Well, there are a lot of employees in this country as well as those who are overseas. You also have your dealers, your manufacturers, etc. etc. Anybody who is associated with the CIA and actually, any United States federal agency is on this software program. It's useless to type in 'Agent Leman' so 'Leman' is the only way. Therefore, it will go through all those unnecessary files."  
"Is that just a glorified version of saying that it's going to take a long time?"  
"Check back at the end of the day. It'll probably be done by the time you're getting ready to leave."  
"I thought you said that it would take a long time."  
  
Cabot laughed.  
  
"Twelve hours is a long time. By CIA standards it is, anyway."  
  
Jack turned the monitor of the computer off and taped a 'Down for Repairs (do not turn off)' sign on the screen.  
  
"What happens when they bring somebody in to fix it?" Sydney asked.  
"Don't worry about that." Jack answered. "They'll bring Cabot in."  
  
--  
  
Fourteen hours later, Jack, Sydney, and Cabot gathered in a deserted and locked computer room. Jack pulled to sign off the screen and turned on the monitor while Cabot situated himself in the chair with Sydney standing behind him.  
  
The blue progress bar had finished and Cabot hit the 'show results' button eagerly wondering if his software program was a success. He scrolled down the screen and finally announced that they had 243 results.  
  
"Not bad." He murmured to himself. Applying the writing sample, the computer then automatically eliminated the results down to ten people.  
"Three of these are postal workers." Jack pointed out and they were deleted.  
"Now, if the person is an agent, they have to be field rated." Sydney stated.  
"Or, it could just be misleading."  
"Can we assume that it's a man?" Cabot asked.  
"No."  
"Just out of curiosity..." Sydney started. "Agent Cabot, can you please delete all the women and those who are not field rated?"  
  
Cabot nodded and the list was narrowed down to two.  
  
"Click on the first one." Jack suggested.  
  
A screen appeared for Agent Jonathan M. Leman, a 78 year-old grandfather of four who is now residing in Boca Raton, Florida.  
  
"He's retired." Sydney said. "It's not him."  
"Want to give the second one a go?" Cabot asked.  
"Why not?" Sydney asked tiredly.  
  
Cabot clicked on the second and a screen appeared for an Agent Peter Leman. Cabot compared the handwriting on his exam to the one on the card, pulling out letters of the alphabet from each and laying them on top of each other.  
  
"It's a match." Jack said. "Are there any details provided?"  
"No." Cabot answered. "That's odd."  
"Why?" Sydney asked.  
"Every single employee has a full background check, psychoanalysis test performed, and exam given. This program is supposed to have all of that, including the resume."  
"It's him." Sydney said, looking at the picture. "I've seen him around before. I've seen him in the office. I've seen him on missions sometimes. It's him."  
"Does it have an address?" Jack asked.  
"Yes." Cabot replied. "321 Grant Road."  
"Thank you. Go home, Sydney." Jack said. "Steven and I are going to go have a chat with Peter." He and Cabot left the computer room.  
  
Sydney sat down into the chair and stared into the face of the man. She hadn't even known what he had looked like until today, but the hatred that she felt was unchanging.  
  
But Sydney still felt the need of human empathy and she knew that the nightmares would still continue to come.  
  
She wouldn't have her father or Agent Cabot to help her there. The person she truly needed was somewhere so close, yet so far away.  
  
They were demons she would face alone.  
  
--  
  
Author's Note: Hello. Yes, it is me. Do you still remember me? You know, Jen, with my story I keep badgering everybody with. Recognition starting to dawn??? Yes??  
  
Ahaha. Yes, that's just me being weird and thinking that it's funny that I haven't written in forever.  
  
It's not funny. Shame on you, Jen.  
  
Aheh.  
  
But anyways, I have finally come out of my hellhole ::coughschoolcough:: although I can't shake the horridness of finales. I know I just failed my math final. =(  
  
If I do, you probably won't be hearing from me soon.  
  
But anyways, yes. That was a chapter. It was so much Sydney, not enough Vaughn. I know, but when can we EVER get ENOUGH of him?  
  
I also felt that it was totally necessary to have a very SYDNEY chapter because, they really haven't been about her lately and some people are saying that she's not grieving enough. Well...she is. Vaughn is talking. I know it's distracting.  
  
You kind of have to imagine that while this chapter is going on, the other characters are doing something. What? I don't know. Use your imagination.  
  
Alright, it's 2 in the morning so I can't really wish you a Merry Christmas anymore. I guess a Happy Holidays! Is in order though.  
  
So.....HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!  
  
Thank you sooooo much to everyone that reviewed. Special thanks to those who did out of the blue in the middle of my writing hiatus. They were much needed encouragement!  
  
Jen 


	35. Revelations

Chap. 35- Revelation  
  
Jack and Cabot pulled to stop a block from Leman's house which was tucked away in the outskirts of Los Angeles on a large piece of quiet, undisturbed land. The two silently slipped handguns underneath their suit jackets. Jack turned to Cabot.  
  
"You know, you don't have to do this. This is personal. I don't want you to get roped into something you could have a choice in."  
  
Cabot shook his head as he zipped up the black duffel bag and shut the trunk of the rental car.  
  
"Jack, I know that you would do anything for you daughter. I would never question that...but I want you to reconsider. We can get him another way. God, Jack, I don't want to come to work one day and find that you've been put away for the murder of a CIA agent who was in truth, a mole."  
"You're right."  
"I am?" Cabot asked, a bit of relief revealing in his voice.  
"Yes. I would do anything for Sydney." Jack replied, almost smiling at Cabot's exasperated expression.  
"Jack, this is serious. You and I, we've been friends for all the years that I've worked for this Agency. I've helped you break countless rules and I have never questioned your loyalty, but they don't know you like I do. Hell, if I didn't know you, I would be damn certain that you had gone rogue."  
"Cabot, I appreciate your concern. I don't think you understand that this is something that I have to do. Now, if you do come in to the office one day and find that I have been arrested; do NOT try to prove my innocence. That will only lead to them discovering of your involvement." Jack said as he strode through the woods toward the lighted house. "Remember that."  
"I will." Cabot answered as he matched Jack stride for stride. "I don't think that they would prosecute me, though. I have something they want desperately."  
"Your software," Jack cut in. "Still, though, it is best if you stay away."  
  
--  
  
Jack and Cabot reached the house and through the satellite feed that Cabot had tapped into, they were able to determine that it was not wired to detonate. Carefully, Jack tested the knob and swung it open.  
  
The two treaded quietly, undetected, through the house where they came to a stop in the living room. Leman stood there, with his back to them, although they were aware that he knew of their presence. He turned and faced them with a grim expression.  
  
"I've been waiting for you. I must say, it took you longer than expected. She told me that you two were the best of the best. I had everything ready for weeks."  
  
Jack didn't answer and kept his cold, steady gaze centered on Leman.  
  
"You planted yourself and another agent in the CIA. We sent that agent to Venezuela where he murdered the only living relative of Milo Rambaldi. You then came after my daughter and her unborn child. Your agent killed that child, killing part of my daughter and of course, part of myself." Jack took out his gun and raised it against Leman. "Arvin Sloane wasn't my favorite person in the world, but murder should be avenged."  
  
--  
  
Jack and Cabot walked out of the house and to the car, pulling away into the dark roads of night.  
  
"How'd you know that he killed Sloane?" Cabot asked as he cleaned Jack's gun.  
"It was a hunch. After Sydney approached me about her theory, I questioned a few security officers and they confirmed that agents have the authority to request the security shut-down routine schedule. I was then, almost positive that it had to be an inside job. After requesting the two piano wires that Sloane was garroted with, I was able to identify that the notes were A and G."  
"A gentleman," Cabot supplied.  
"Exactly. But then again, it was just a hunch. Maybe Leman had no clue what I was talking about."  
"It was a clean job." Cabot commented. "Four shots though, was that really necessary?"  
"No," Jack replied. "But I have been told that I have a lot of pent up anger."  
"Barnett?"  
"That's the one."  
  
Cabot whistled.  
  
"Damn, Jack. I'm just glad that you're on our side."  
  
--  
  
Sydney snapped her cell phone shut and rubbed her head, unsure of what she was supposed to feel. Only a minute ago, her father had called her and had barely uttered a few words before hanging up again,  
  
"It's been taken care of. Get some rest."  
  
Her father's brief message was a direct implication toward the death of the Gentleman. Before, she had thought that once her child's murder had been avenged, all would feel right in the world. In truth, she didn't feel any different. His life could have been spared. Ashamed at her own selfishness, she slid against the wall down to the floor.  
  
A beeper went off in the next room and her head snapped up with a bit of annoyance at Kendall who she was sure had chosen this very moment to alert her of some matter. Grumbling, she climbed to her feet and walked into the bedroom, rifling through the drawer in the bed stand on her side of the bed.  
  
Her fingers touched the small square of plastic and pulling it into view, the unlit screen confirmed that it had not been her beeper that had gone off. Confused, Sydney sat in a moment of deliberation before climbing over to the other side of the bed to the bed stand near Scott's side of the bed. She quickly extracted it and read the emergency message that flashed bright blue constantly.  
  
She pushed back her jacket sleeve to momentarily check the time and left the house quickly.  
  
--  
  
Sydney pulled into the parking lot of the university hospital and walked briskly toward the sliding doors. Right before she stepped foot into the hospital, her feet seemed to plant themselves in front of the doorway. Even as the double sliding doors slid open before her, wafting in a cool breeze from the air conditioning, she stood there realizing that she had not stepped food in this hospital for almost ten years.  
  
It was almost ten years ago when Danny had died.  
  
"Excuse me." A woman's voice called, jolting her from her thoughts.  
  
Sydney turned to find a woman pressing a bloody cloth to her head and jumped out of the woman's way.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
The woman wove off Sydney's apology. Sydney then, purposefully strode into the hospital and up to the blue countered desk. She stood there, waiting for the nurse's attention. Without looking up, the nurse directed,  
  
"Take a clipboard and a pen. Fill it out. Get it back to me and then we'll see what we can do for you. You'll have to wait, it's a busy day."  
"Oh no, I'm not here for medical services."  
  
The authorative nurse looked up from her work and smiled at Sydney.  
  
"Well then, what can I help you with?"  
"Is this emergency?"  
"Sure is." The nurse answered.  
"Would it be too much of a hassle if you could page a doctor for me? He accidentally left his beeper at home."  
"Well that's not good. Sure thing, honey...what's the doctor's name?"  
"Voyer. Dr. Scott Voyer." Sydney answered quickly, glancing up at the white clock hanging above the reception desk.  
"Voyer? V-O-Y-E-R?" The nurse asked.  
"Yes."  
  
The nurse looked at Sydney oddly.  
  
"We don't have a Dr. Voyer in Emergency. Is it possible that he works in another department? The hospital is big. We've got lots of divisions."  
"I'm positive that he works in Emergency. Are you sure you don't have a Doctor Voyer?"  
"Honey, I've been the head nurse here for almost twenty years now. I know all the doctors, their wives, their children, grandchildren, and maybe even great-grandchildren. Trust me; I would know if there was a Doctor Voyer."  
"Oh..." Sydney mustered, thousands of thoughts whirling in her mind.  
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you. Is there anything I could help you with?"  
"No, thank you. You know, maybe I heard the wrong hospital name. I kind of wanted to surprise him. It's our one week anniversary today." Sydney lied, covering up her surprise before.  
"Oh, well then. Congratulations. I hope that you find him soon."  
"Me, too. Thank you for all your help."  
"It was my pleasure. Take care."  
"You too." Sydney smiled before hurrying away.  
  
--  
  
Hey everybody! It's me!!!  
  
I'm sorry that I haven't written in such a long time. (17 days, ::gasp::. Lol.)  
  
I just wanted to let everybody know that I will definitely NOT give up on this fic! NO WAY! It's like my baby and....sadly, it's coming to an end.  
  
I think I shall miss it dearly when I do finish it, and I will be very confused for I have no other ideas!!!  
  
I have to think.  
  
Anyways, thank you so much for ALL of your reviews! They were great encouragement  
  
And thank you to Ms.MV, CryHope, supergirl14, total Vaughn lover, Jade- Tessier (Thanks for all those whopping reviews! LOL.), anonymousthinker, landi104, star16, AgentLopez, serendipity112233, Kate Finn-BH, allyispy, Sarah2004 (Yes, I am a bit slow on AA. Lol. I think it's chap....10???), Naughty-Spy (Jayme! It's nice to finally hear from you again! LOL.)  
  
So yes! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!  
  
Jen 


	36. Decisions

Chap.36- Decisions  
  
Sydney walked into the house and headed for the telephone. She picked up the receiver and was about to dial when a large hand clapped onto her shoulder. Sydney jumped and quickly turned around.  
  
"Hey, how was your day? You seem jumpy." Scott remarked as he leaned in for a kiss.  
  
Sydney forced a small smile on her face as she replaced the phone.  
  
"I'm fine. Just...tired. The usual."  
"Yea?" Scott asked as he walked to the set of drawers in the kitchen and rummaged around.  
"Yea." Sydney answered. She cleared her throat, "What are you looking for?"  
"My beeper." He remarked. "I have no idea where I put it." He stood up to look at her. "Do you know where it is?"  
"Yea, it's in my car."  
"Your car? I don't remember putting it there."  
"It was in your dresser. You forgot it this morning and it started going off. I was going to drop it off at the hospital for you..." Sydney paused, studying the reaction on his face. It was blank. Emotionless. Calm. "...but I was too busy at work. Sorry." She finished, walking over to the kitchen island and drinking a small glass of water.  
"That's okay. I only had a few patients today. It wasn't a busy day."  
"So, how did they contact you?" Sydney asked casually, silently sliding the drawer in the island open and gripping the handle of a knife.  
"The head nurse was at the reception desk when I got to work and I told her about the situation. She just told everybody to page me over the intercom. It wasn't a problem." Scott shrugged.  
"She seems nice." Sydney remarked; releasing her hold of the knife and pushing the drawer closed with a slight movement of her body.  
"Who?"  
"The head nurse."  
"Oh, yea. She is. I'll introduce you sometime."  
  
Sydney nodded.  
  
"You know what I was thinking?" She asked him.  
"What's that?"  
"Well...since we're actually making an effort to socialize now, I think that we should go to that annual Fourth of July party that the hospital always has. I saw the invitation in the mail. It looks fun."  
  
Scott leaned across the island and stroked her face.  
  
"Okay, if that's what you want."  
  
--  
  
"Thanks for coming, Dad." Sydney said gratefully as her father sat down.  
"It's not a problem. What's wrong? You sounded distressed on the phone."  
"I was distressed. I AM distressed."  
"Calm down, Sydney. Tell me what happened."  
  
Sydney took a deep breath and told Jack everything.  
  
"....and I'm POSITIVE that I walked into the right hospital. I remember when he told me that he was being transferred. We fought. He thought it was just because I didn't want to leave D.C. I tried telling myself that too, but I know that it was really because...."  
"...that was where Danny worked." Jack finished.  
  
Sydney nodded.  
  
"Yea."  
"Sydney, I don't want you to jump to conclusions. There could be a decent and logical explanation to all of this. His paycheck is obviously coming from somewhere and he has a valid medical and bachelor's degree."  
"When did you check up on him?" Sydney asked.  
"The moment you told me his full name on the telephone," Jack replied.  
  
Sydney gave a small laugh and leaned forward on the table, holding her head in her hands.  
  
"Dad...I don't know what to do." Sydney said, her voice wavering with emotion.  
"Did you confront him yet?" Jack asked.  
"Discreetly." Sydney replied. "I hinted that I almost went to the hospital to return his beeper and again when I suggested that we attend the annual Fourth of July party."  
"How did he react?"  
"He didn't."  
"Did you give the beeper back?"  
"Yes, but before that I gave it to Marshall. He implanted a tracker in it."  
"Good."  
  
She took a deep breath.  
  
"Do you really, truly believe that there's a logical explanation?"  
  
Jack looked at his daughter with a steady gaze. He could tell that she was already at her wit's end with the thought that the only normalcy in her life, her marriage, could have been another intelligent lie.  
  
A scheme.  
  
A plot.  
  
Fake.  
  
--  
  
Vaughn sighed as he sorted through the mail. Placing the bills into one pile, he quickly eliminated the junk mail. As he was about to open an envelope, the door bell rang. Vaughn put down the mail and walked to the door.  
  
"Mr. Michael C. Vaughn?" The deliveryman asked.  
"Yes."  
"Sign here, please." He said, thrusting a clipboard and a pen at Vaughn.  
"Thanks." Vaughn said as he took the package.  
"Take it easy, sir."  
  
Vaughn nodded and smiled as he closed the door. He slid a finger through the flap and extracted the papers.  
  
After reading them through, he sat down and signed and completed them all. Vaughn felt as if weights had been lifted from his shoulders.  
  
He was divorced.  
  
Getting up, he opened the refrigerator and fixed himself dinner. He carried his plate to the mail table and sifted through them. Picking up the envelope he had abandoned when the papers had been delivered.  
  
He slit the envelope and unfolded the letter. Dropping his fork, he scrambled for the envelope and flipped it around. It had no return address.  
  
He grabbed his suit jacket that he had shed coming home, the envelope that contained the letter, and his keys.  
  
Driving from his house, he had an eerie feeling that he was being followed although there was no indication whatsoever. Shaking it away as his nerves and blaming it on the contents of the letter, he drove on through the dark night.  
  
--  
  
"What does it mean?" Eric asked.  
"I have an idea." Vaughn replied. He accepted the cup on coffee that Lisa offered him. Noting her robe, he shook his head. "I should stop coming to your house in the middle of the night."  
"Don't worry about it." Lisa replied.  
  
A screaming blur of brown hair and blue fire truck pajamas flew down the stairs and attached itself to Vaughn's leg.  
  
"At least we know somebody's glad to see you." Eric joked.  
"Hey buddy." Vaughn said, ruffling his godson's hair.  
  
Jake gave him a toothy grin before being unattached by his mother.  
  
"Nooooo!"  
"Yes." Lisa said. "It is WAY past your bed time. Say good-night."  
"Bye..." Jake said sadly, his small hand waving frantically in the air, hoping for a savior.  
"Good-night, Jake." Vaughn smiled, his problems escaping for a brief moment.  
  
The mother and son disappeared upstairs and the attention returned to the letter again.  
  
"Read it again." Eric instructed.  
" 'Mr. Vaughn, it is of the utmost importance that my regards be sent to you. I sympathize with your divorce, as the relationship between a man and a woman is one of the most distinctive kinds in this world. I though, must say one thing. You made the right decision.'" Vaughn read from the flowing script.  
"Wait...read the middle part again."  
"What middle part?" Vaughn asked. "It's like 3 sentences."  
"Work with me here." Eric instructed. He then added, "Thank you, Captain Obvious."  
  
A small giggle escaped from the stairs leading to the second floor. The two men craned around to see Jake's face pressed between two railings.  
  
"Is Captain Obvious a superhero?" Jake asked.  
"Yes." Vaughn answered. "Where's your mother?"  
"Shhhh!" Jake smiled, putting his index finger to his lips. "She's sleeping. It's past her bedtime."  
"Oh, I see." Eric remarked. "Aren't you cold?" He asked, noting his thin pajamas and the cold air conditioner turned high to block the heat of a Californian summer.  
"No!" Jake said as he shivered. "Annie likes the cold. She says that where she came from is really cold. Really, really cold." He explained, emphasizing with another shiver.  
"Who's Annie?" Vaughn asked Eric. "Imaginary friend?"  
"More like, new next-door neighbor best-friend in the whole wide world."  
"Ahh...is she from the East Coast or something?"  
"Try Russia." Eric remarked. "Annie is for Anya."  
"Russia?"  
"Russia."  
"Oh my god." Vaughn exclaimed. He walked over to the table and picked up the letter. "I knew this sounded familiar. 'The relationship between a man and a woman'."  
"Who is it?"  
"I don't think you're ready for this."  
"Come on, try me. I'm sooo ready."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yea. Who is it?"  
"Irina."  
  
--  
  
Hey! It's FINALLY up! Man, this chapter took me like, 5 hours to write. LOL. I'm not even kidding. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I know it's been forever since I've updated. And well, I'll try my hardest for the next chapter!  
  
Thanks!  
  
Jen 


	37. Truth Unfolds

Chap.37- Truth Unfolds  
  
"Scott...are you sure you're well enough to go?" Sydney asked.  
"I'm fine; it's just a little cold." He answered, shaking his head as he continued to pack his suitcase.  
"You're green." Sydney countered. "Literally."  
"I knew this lighting wasn't good for my complexion." He said, returning her comment with a playful banter.  
  
Sydney glared at him.  
  
"I'm serious, Scott."  
"I am too. I wanted the sconce lights, but damn you and your fluorescent lighting."  
"First of all, the lights are not fluorescent. Secondly, I don't think you even know what sconce lights are. Thirdly, I was serious when I said that I was serious. Fourthly, I still don't think that you should go."  
"Fourthly? Is that a word? Interesting. I had no idea. I'll have to use that sometime."  
"You're avoiding the topic."  
"Sydney, it's a medical convention. I go to medical conventions all the time..."  
"...which is why you can miss this one," Sydney finished.  
"No, I can't."  
"Yes, you can."  
"No, they may come up for a cure to this cold that I've been having. I'll be their first human specimen." He joked. His smile dropped as he leaned in for a kiss. "It's only for five days. Try not to miss me too much, okay?"  
  
--  
  
Sydney watched as Scott's car disappeared from sight and picked up a phone.  
  
"Dad, he just left for the convention. Should I follow him?"  
"It's your call, Sydney."  
  
She paused.  
  
"Keep this line open. I'll be in touch."  
  
--  
  
Sydney glanced at the car clock and then back up to the road, making sure to keep her distance between herself and Scott. She nervously combed her fingers through her blond wig and adjusted her sunglasses, fiddling with the air conditioner on the rental car.  
  
The hours passed as Sydney tried to distract her imagination from wandering too much about what could happen in the next moments of her life. She turned on the radio and tried singing along, but the fluttering of her stomach caused her arm to quickly switch the radio off.  
  
As Sydney drove in silence, listening only to the rotation of the rubber of the tire on the dark pavement of the road, she could only wonder.  
  
--  
  
Almost an hour and a half later, Sydney's attention was turned to Scott's car signaling toward the exit of the freeway.  
  
"Sydney." Jack's voice echoed through on the comm. link.  
"Dad?"  
"Has anything unusual occurred?"  
"No. I'm driving through the exit right now and it's exactly where he said that the medical conference would be."  
"Sydney, I've activated the tracker in Scott's beeper. I don't detect any unusual behavior. I think you're wasting your time. You should head home."  
"I'm just entering Santa Barbara."  
"Sydney, listen to me. There's a large percentage that this suspicion is just a result of a misunderstanding."  
"And there's also that small percentage left that there is something going on." Sydney countered. "I'll call you when I get home."  
"Sydney..."  
"I'll be fine."  
  
--  
  
Sydney watched with a sigh of relief as Scott exit his car, arms loaded with posters and medical information, into the university that he had told Sydney his medical convention was taking place. When he disappeared into the building, she got out of the car stretched her legs with a large smile on her face.  
  
As she turned to enter her car, two large security guards blocked her way.  
  
"Excuse me, miss. I don't see a parking permit on your car which indicates that you're not allowed to park here."  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just leaving."  
"Entrance on this campus without a valid permit is strictly prohibited. I'm sorry, but for safety precautions, we're going to have to escort you to security headquarters."  
"I..."  
  
Before Sydney had time to react, the second security guard pressed a wet cloth against her face, rendering her unconscious.  
  
--  
  
Sydney licked her dry lips as her eyelids struggled to open. It took her a moment to register the events that had occurred as she sat up in a panic. She looked around, taking in her surroundings.  
  
It reminded her of a small cottage with smooth hardwood floors and a familiar floral theme present throughout the house. The kitchen, dining room, and living room were encompassed in the large room where she was placed on one of the couches. Shakily, she sat up and moved to stand.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A soft voice said, its owner walking into the room. "The drug tends to make you weaker in the knees than most people would like."  
"Mom?" Sydney asked.  
"Hello, Sydney."  
"What are you...? Who...? Are you...?" Sydney asked, unable to finish each question with too many thoughts invading her mind.  
  
Irina smiled.  
  
"I understand your shock, Sydney."  
"No, I don't think that you do. The last time I saw you..."  
  
Sydney was cut off by the entrance of another person in the house.  
  
"In the living room," Irina said to the visitor, her voice barely rising above her normal velocity to command the attention of the listener.  
"I'm sorry that I'm late. I think that I was being...followed." The speaker said, trailing off as his eyes rested on Sydney.  
  
She looked at him in hurtful shock.  
  
"Scott?"  
"Sydney, I can explain."  
"Explain what? That you know my mother? Are you working with her? What else are you keeping from me?" Sydney screamed, tears beginning to form out of frustration.  
"Sydney, please."  
  
Irina returned to the living room area with a glass of water. Sydney stared, not even noticing that she had left. Irina handed the glass to Scott.  
  
"Are you sure that this will work?" He asked, warily eyeing the water.  
"No. Drink up." She said.  
  
He looked at Sydney, who stared at him with wide eyes, and obeyed. Irina glanced at her watch.  
  
"Time?" He asked.  
"Almost. I tripled the dosage, so it might be faster than we anticipated. Be patient."  
"I'm so tired." He remarked.  
  
Sydney glanced at the large grandfather clock centered in the room. It read 11:46. One minute later, she noticed the subtle yet significant changes that began to occur on Scott. In confusion, she watched as her husband physically transformed into another man.  
  
Her vision blurred as she saw the true person that she had married for the first time. She opened her mouth in traumatization, but only a shocked whisper of his name escaped.  
  
"Sark..."  
  
--  
  
Author's Note: OMG! First of all: I'M SO SORRY!!! It's been over two months perhaps? I've missed you and your reviewing so much!!! Thank you for sticking by!  
  
landi104: lol! I love it when I get my predictions right....ahhh....it feels so good. Hehe. Don't you agree?  
  
caz: Thanks so much for reviewing! Continue to do so...please....=D  
  
Sarah2004: AHH! You just made me remember AA. Jeez, I should really update there too. Thanks! Vaughn + Divorce with other women= Time to start the celebration. I had so much joy writing that.  
  
Ms.MV: Are your questions answered? Hmm???  
  
liz: Well...I'm glad that you agree with me on the loveliness of Jack-the- good-father antics. I think that they're so great. I think that all things Jake/Weiss/Vaughn deserve to be super cute. Wow, you say utterly. You know who else says utterly? Martha Stewart. I love Martha Stewart. Everything that she makes is perfect and it looks so freakin' good. Yes? No?  
  
mandie: Yay! Review! Yay!  
  
Laura: Oh yes, Irina always has her way with the words. =D  
  
serendipity112233: Are you going to yell at me for making you wait EVEN longer this chapter? Actually, I think I deserve it. So yell all you want. And just keep yelling until I finish the next!  
  
Valoriahn: Thanks! Keep reading! And please, join serendipity112233 with the yelling. Actually, you're ALL welcome to it.  
  
star16: I think loop endings are so great. Don't you? But, I do get mad when it's on a TV show though....hmm.....maybe loop endings aren't so great after all....  
  
Reesie06: I think that I've officially maxed out of sub-plots for this story. I think that I have sub-plots up to the wa-zoo. I think that I have sub-plots to the max. Heh. They're so great.  
  
supergirl14: heh! I agree with you on the Irina part. But I can't with any of the others because I guess that would just give away the ending, now wouldn't it?  
  
Serindipity9: LOL! Hehe. That's funny. I don't think Vaughn would need an excuse....if you know what I mean. ::wink:: He can peek in my windows anyday!  
  
Kate: Thanks!  
  
Jade-Tessier: thanks for the reviews! Much appreciated! I'm glad you like. Now tell me...what about this chapter?!  
  
Ren201: Someone who's been with me since chapter 1 first came up?! That's so great! Thanks so much! Keep reading!! Keeping my fingers crossed for your review!  
  
Pleader: hehe! Love the name. It's comin', it's comin'.  
  
Stacey: AHA. See above!  
  
Jayme: Well hello there! I honestly didn't realize how long it had been. That's going to be my excuse and I'm so sticking by that! Aha! So there! All I have to say is that you better keep reminding me about Chapter 38 or I'm going to have to mega ninja-chop you from here to Australia. Alrite? =D  
  
Well well....that's the rest of them. Thanks for reading! I'll be back soon!  
  
Jen 


	38. Loving You

Chap.38- Loving You  
  
"Sydney, please....let me explain," Sark begged. He took a step toward her and she shrank away from him, pulling her knees closer to her chest. The drug Irina's guards had used to knock her unconscious still held her in a strong grip. Her head spun and she tried to escape, but her limbs felt heavy and immobile. He sighed in defeat. "It was never supposed to end up like this."  
"That's all you have to say for yourself?" Sydney spat back at him, a sudden fire igniting and tearing through the haziness of her brain. "What was it supposed to end up like, then? Were you supposed to nonchalantly tell me who you really were one day?"  
"It was never supposed to last for three years."  
  
"I don't care about what was supposed to happen. It did happen." Sydney turned to face her mother who had been silent. "I know it was your idea. How did you manage to slip by the CIA? Why?"  
"Sydney, I never wanted anything less than the best for you." She whispered. Irina turned to Sark. "Go stand watch." He hesitated, but obeyed. Irina waited for the door to shut and continued. "When your father told me that you were transferring to Langley, I knew it was because of Vaughn. And when Vaughn was took leave from field duty and was assigned to interrogate me at one of my monthly sessions, I could tell that things weren't going so well for him at home. But I knew that it would take _time_." She paused and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "Whenever your father and I ever spoke, he always expressed his concern for your safety. He told me that you were taking the most dangerous missions, that you rarely followed protocol, and that you had nearly gotten yourself killed on ninety percent of the missions you went on because you were too hasty."  
"Are you trying to justify yourself? Trying to make it seem like you did everything for me?"  
"I **did** do everything for you, Sydney! Do you think that I would put my standing at risk to make you miserable? I understood that you needed something in your life to temporarily fill the gap that Vaughn left behind. It wasn't anything that I or your father could fill. So I used the Project Helix method on Sark and implanted him into Langley's hospital, knowing that one day, you were bound to get hurt."  
"Wait! I blew up Project Helix myself. I was there with Agent Lennox. You're lying."  
"Am I?" She asked demurely. "Then how do you explain what just happened before your eyes? Sydney, don't be foolish. It may be hard to create, but it's never as hard to recreate. Remember that." Sydney was silent. "Everything went as planned. When I felt that Vaughn and his wife were on the verge of a breakup, I recruited Sark back to Los Angeles. All the missions that you went on from your arrival in Los Angeles had been the doing of my contacts on my instruction, and they made sure that you were never harmed."  
"Never _harmed_? What do you mean _never harmed_? I was **pregnant** and your friends killed my** child**!" Sydney sat, waiting for Irina to answer. She never did. "I was _supposed_ to become pregnant, was I?" She hissed. "You murdered my child, and it was all part of your **plan**."  
"I'm still the same person, Sydney. I'm still the same person." Sark broke out suddenly, unable to contain his guilt. "That's why I told your father about the baby before you were going on that mission. Because I knew what Irina was planning. Sydney, you have to believe me. Sydney...._I love you_. I'm still the same person. Please, you have to believe me." Sydney remembered when she first met Scott, when she said 'yes' to his proposal, their wedding, his kisses, his touch....  
  
Sydney screamed. She screamed out of hurt. She screamed out of anger. She screamed out of injustice. She screamed for Vaughn. She screamed for her make-believe husband Scott.

She screamed for herself.  
  
--  
  
Jack's face set into one of a steely glare from his worried expression as he heard Sydney hang up the phone. He had tried to persuade her to turn around, that there was nothing wrong. Her stubbornness that he had once proudly praised as coming from himself was now his worst enemy.  
  
Once Sydney had mentioned that Scott had driven down to Santa Barbara, he could have kicked himself for not thinking about it sooner. Irina. It was always Irina managing to slip by the CIA, by the government, by him. Only she could possibly expect his thoroughness and be sure to provide a liable background for Scott, knowing that he would perform a check the first time that Sydney mentioned his name to him.  
  
Irina. He cursed her name as he drove to Sydney's house, breaking into the house and searching for clues of Scott's identity. He entered the guest bathroom and rummaged in the medicine cabinet, looking for nothing until he saw a medication that Scott had prescribed to someone else: S. Julian. He took the bottle and drove to a pharmaceutical company, to a "friend" that owed him a "favor".  
  
"The label's been tampered with. I did an analysis and it's nothing that I've ever seen before. It's not FDA approved or even in the charts. But I did a check through some friends of my own who are higher up in the foreign markets."  
"And?" Jack asked impatiently, checking his watch.  
"It's a medicine called Provacillium. All they would tell me is that it has something to do with genetic engineering. Nothing specific, real vague."  
  
Jack stiffened at the mention of Provacillium.  
  
"Thank you." He said, taking the bottle and slide on the microscope. "I was never here. You've never heard of me. This never happened."  
  
He realized, walking out, that he hadn't heard from Julian Sark in the last 3 years. It was rumored that he had died and remains were unknown, but Jack Bristow had found him. Julian Sark had become a part of his family and he didn't even know it.  
  
"Kendall, this is Jack." He said, speaking swiftly and eloquently into his cell phone. "I have reason to suspect that Julian Sark is now at Irina Derevko's residence. I believe that is a violation of her agreement and that we have reason to be alarmed. I would like to request the assembly of sharpshooters."  
"Jack, the sighting of Julian Sark has been confirmed. They are assembling as we speak. I'll direct you to the head of the team."  
  
Jack spoke to the head and ordered that under no circumstances was Sydney to be hurt and if, at any time they had a clear shot of either Irina or Sark, they should take it.  
  
"Sir, a woman is screaming, sir."  
"Can you see what she looks like?" Jack asked, trying not to sound alarmed when he heard the screams through the intercom link.  
"No, sir. I can confirm that it is not Irina Derevko. I repeat. It is **not** Irina Derevko."  
"Do you have a clear shot of Derevko or Sark?"  
"No, sir. A curtain is blocking my view, sir."  
"Is there another way you can position yourself?"  
"No, sir. She's moving, sir. Should I take the shot, sir?"  
  
Jack hesitated.  
  
"Take the shot."  
  
--  
  
Sydney heard the glass breaking and she instinctively ducked. When she looked up, Sark was dead in a pool of his own blood. He was shot once through the chest. Her limbs felt lighter and she was beginning to regain movement. She pushed herself up from her position on the couch and stumbled forward.  
  
Sydney tripped over Sark's body, but she continued to crawl toward where her mother had hung her coat. She could see her comm. link outlined slightly in her front pocket. She pulled herself up.  
  
"Sydney!" Irina called.  
  
Sydney looked down and saw the red dot aimed at her chest. The sharpshooter had mistaken her for Irina. Before she could react, she heard the soft silenced shot of the gun, and she saw her mother's pained face.  
  
Irina looked down and felt the blood that poured from her stomach. She gasped for breath.  
  
"I love you, Sydney."  
  
Irina fell forward into Sydney's arms, and she felt her weak legs give out under her. Tears fell down her cheeks.  
  
"I love you too, mom."  
  
--  
  
Oh my gosh, you guys all must hate me by now. I'm really really really really really really really really sorry!!!!! I really am. Jeez, what can I do to make it up to you all! Thank you for ALL of your reviews! Thank you thank you!  
  
Man, you guys are so good to me.  
  
I suck. I know.  
  
To answer some of your questions that I can remember off the top of my head, I did think about making Scott actually Vaughn and Vaughn someone else....but then I remembered all those beautiful moments that Sydney and Vaughn had with each other and I felt that the struggle was definitely worth it. =D  
  
Love you all Always,  
  
Jen  
  
P.S. Please do not hesitate to yell at me. I know I deserve it. ::hangs head:: I will never do this again until the story is finished!!! You all better hold me to it!  
  
P.P.S. I do also blame FF.net because when I actually have something to update, they do this stupid server crap on me. I say....REBEL!!!! LOL. JK. Heh. Don't shoot me FF. net.


	39. Fallen

Chap. 39- Fallen  
  
Sydney awoke, startled, from one of those dreams were you fall, but you never figure out where you're falling to because your brain is too afraid to find out. She half-expected to be home in her bed, half-expecting to still feel the heavy weight of her mother's body on top of hers. She looked around and found herself to be in a hospital ward. Sydney looked up into the ecstatic face of Ana.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Sydney! I'm so glad you're okay." She said, smiling down at her. "Are you?"  
"Of course," Sydney replied, trying to muster a smile but feeling the tears well behind her eyes. "What time is it?"  
"Um...a little after 8," Ana frowned, checking her watch. "You look confused."  
"When did I...you know, pass out?" Sydney asked, a bit embarrassingly. She, the super-spy of the agency, resilient to torture and brainwashing, had blacked out and been hospitalized twice since she started working in Los Angeles again.  
"I don't know, Sydney!" Ana wailed. "I was just worried about you! How can you be concerned about these things?"  
  
Sydney stared at her blankly. Ana looked at her suspiciously.  
  
"I know what you're thinking." Ana started accusingly. "How can **you**, Sydney Bristow, super-spy of the agency, resilient to torture and brainwashing, black out and be hospitalized twice since you started working in Los Angeles again?"  
"Something along those lines."  
"You're not weak, Sydney, contrary to what you may think of yourself." Ana said, her voice softening considerably and lowering a few decibels. "Even super-spies need breaks, you know."  
  
Ana spoke these words with a truthful innocence. She was like a coin, her serious side showing at the office and to the world, she showed her playful childish side.  
  
Sydney just couldn't decide which side was wiser.  
  
--  
  
"Calm down!" Kendall roared.  
  
The sullen, but now silent, members of the tactics team fell into an awkward silence.  
  
"McInery," Jack said, noting the defiant young man who had challenged the command his officer. "What the hell happened out there?"  
"Sir, first, I would like you to know that I was just doing my job and part of that job is to report misconduct, even if it is from your own officer."  
"Fine!" Kendall shouted. "Now get on with it."  
"Mr. Bristow alerted us all to get into position and our positions were already assigned. I was to be positioned on a hill that was directly across from the eastern face of the house where the living room was and so that was were I went. The whole tactic team, when in the right positions, form a complete and solid circle around the house, ensuring that no one could get in or out without our knowledge. As Derevko and Sark were finally within range, I signaled my officer for permission to fire. Instead of communicating through the correct hand-signals as was demonstrated or the comm.link, he broke the circle and ran to my side. He told me to get out of my position, Sir, just as I had a clear shot of Sark's leg, as the order was to wound, not kill." McInery gulped. "He pushed me out of the way, and the bullet went astray, almost wounding a member of the tactic team. When he crouched into my position, I could see that the curtain had been blown into his view. I heard him ask for your permission to shoot, Sir, and I quickly moved to his abandoned position. The last thing I heard were the two shots in quick succession. The next moment, we were in the house. Derevko and Sark were dead. Your daughter, Sir, was unconscious with a steady pulse, but we had no idea what Derevko might have used on her, so we quickly airlifted her to the hospital. That's it."  
  
A moment of silence filled the room as the other members tittered, unsure whether to support their friend or defend their officer.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen," Jack said, already knowing the issue. "Did anyone witness a validation of Mr. McInery's description? Perhaps, a Mr. Cohen, a Mr. Bailey, and a...Ms. Smith? You _**were**_ following orders and positioned correctly, I assume." He added, consulting a chart in his hand.  
"Yes, sir." A voice spoke up. "I bear witness to the events that occurred today and validate all of Mr. McInery's statements as accurate and truthful."  
"Thank you, Ms. Smith. I'm glad someone around here has balls." Kendall said, unaware of how inappropriate his statement was. He nodded to the group. "You are to report to your new officer tomorrow...dismissed."  
  
--  
  
_Two Weeks Later..._  
  
Sydney walked out of the Agency's law office in shock. She should have thought of it earlier, but she had been so preoccupied that she still wore her wedding and engagement ring. Shock becoming fury, she stormed into her father's office and slammed the door shut, pacing back and forth. Jack looked up at his daughter from the paperwork on his desk.  
  
"Sydney, what's wrong?"  
"She had no **right**!" Sydney screamed. "She had no fucking right...._meddling _in my life like that!" She cried, trying to grasp the right word. "She made it sound like she was a **saint** for doing it, like...like I should be **thankful** or something. Thankful that I didn't get myself killed on a mission, or, or...heaven forbid become **depressed** or **mentally insane**!" Sydney spat.  
"Sydney..."  
"Did she **ever **think? Wasn't she supposed to be _intelligent_, for god's sake? She was in the fucking intelligence business!" Sydney interrupted. "I'm just curious what she would have done next if I didn't find out what she was doing, if Vaughn had divorced his wife sooner. Would she have killed Scott? Make me go running to Vaughn? Or maybe, just maybe, Scott, the perfect husband, would have run off with a skank down the street. What, dad, do you think she would have done?" Sydney asked, slamming both hands down onto his desk.  
"Sydney, what's wrong?" Jack asked quietly.  
  
Sydney, her fury spent, collapsed into the chair behind her.  
  
"Scott Jamison Voyer III was never a real person. The marriage license was a fake, a really good fake. The priest was a fluke. Even, his paycheck was a forgery of the county hospital. It seems like I've been living comfortably off Mom for the last two years." She sighed deeply. "Another two years of my life...**gone**."  
  
Jack had no idea what to say.  
  
"Sydney, I don't know what to say..."  
"You don't have to say anything, Dad." Sydney said. "I know what it feels like to be in your position now. It was a strategy game and we were the game pieces." She pushed herself to her feet and walked out the door, making sure to shut it gently this time.  
  
--  
  
_Three Months Later..._  
  
Sydney's jogging pace slowed to a cool-down walk as she traveled to her usual bench and water fountain in the park. It had been foggy when she left the large and empty house, but the sun was beginning to peak through, sending splashes of sunshine to warm Sydney's face. She inhaled the cool morning air and smiled back at the sun.  
  
The man in the park, who she had known to be Vaughn for quite a while, was always there when she greeted the sun. Every morning, without fail, he was there. Slowly, purposefully, Sydney rose from her park bench and made her way across the foggy playground to where he sat with Donovan. She could see his posture stiffen, but Donovan's tail had already begun to wag in anticipation.  
  
Sydney finally crossed the sandy ground and stepped onto the grass to face him. She saw his beautiful green eyes widen in shock and surprise. His lips curved into a smile, but then his face wrinkled in confusion.  
  
"Syd...it was always you? How come....? Why didn't you...?" Vaughn stopped himself with a smile. "Sorry, I'm at a total loss for words."  
"I had to gather the courage." Sydney explained, smiling. She sat down into the empty seat next to him. "I didn't approach you when I first found out because...well, you were married. I was married. I didn't want to create any unnecessary discomfort, with us being neighbors and all. Then, everything was just out of control. I didn't even come to the park."  
"I noticed." He admitted. A silence followed. "Do you know what day it is?"  
  
Sydney frowned.  
  
"Tuesday?"  
  
Vaughn laughed.  
  
"No...It's October 1st."  
  
Tears came to Sydney's eyes.  
  
"Vaughn..."  
"Syd? What's wrong? Is everything okay?"  
"I wasn't going to tell you this. I was just going to let you know that it was me all along, but what your mother said in France a long time ago was right."  
"Syd?"  
"My marriage with Scott was never real. Not just legally, either. I was so tormented before when I found out that he was really Sark because I thought that I had fallen in love with him. But just today...sitting there on that bench across the playground, three whole months later, I realized that everything that I loved about Scott wasn't really Sark. Everything that I loved about him had to be **acted**. Vaughn..."  
"I..."  
"Vaughn...everything that I loved about Scott was everything that I love about you."  
  
Vaughn looked into her heart-broken face and carefully wiped away Sydney's tears. She smiled her tearful smile.  
  
"It..." Vaughn started to say.  
"I have to go. I'm sorry, Vaughn. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. You don't have to say anything." Sydney interrupted, ducking her head and quickly taking off.  
  
He watched her retreating back, but did nothing.   
  
"It always was you, Sydney Bristow."  
  
--  
  
_One Week Later..._  
  
"Vaughn." Vaughn said, answering his cell phone, wincing at the strong desk light in the office.  
"Mr. Vaughn, sir, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but this is Jeannine from the front desk. You told me to notify you if Sydney Bristow ever came to the office, sir. I tried to stall her, but she told me that she had a flight to catch."  
"A flight?" Vaughn asked in disbelief. "Are you sure?"  
"Yes, sir. Positive."  
"Thank you, Jeannine."  
"You're welcome sir, have a good night."  
"You too." Vaughn half-heartedly murmured as he hung up the phone. A flight. A flashback of his hallucination of her almost three years ago when she left for D.C. entered his mind. He failed miserably then, he hadn't done anything in the park, but he was ready to step up now. He knew that if didn't do something, he would lose the woman he loved, perhaps, forever.  
"I really should get drunk before I do this." Vaughn mumbled to himself as he dialed Jack's number.  
"Yes?" Jack answered, his voice sounding as close as if he was standing right next to Vaughn.  
"Sir, this is Michael Vaughn."  
"What do you want?"  
"I know that Sydney's catching a plane somewhere. I also know that you know all her information. Please, sir, I'm begging you to tell me. I don't want anything but the best for your daughter. I don't want anything more than for her to be happy. Sir...Jack...please."  
"LAX airport, terminal 3, gate C5, flight 140. It leaves at 11:45. You better hurry. If you don't make it, she's in seat 18A." Jack paused. "Good luck, Vaughn. And don't ever call my house phone again." He added gruffly before hanging up.  
  
Vaughn looked at his watch. He had half an hour to get to the airport. Vaughn took off running to the parking garage.  
  
The rain began to pelt down on his car and he squinted to get a better view of the road, nervously checking the clock every few seconds. Soon enough, he had parked the car and ran into the airport, looking for terminal 3, gate C5.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir. You're not allowed in here without a ticket." An airport attendant said apologetically, observing his panicked face and dripping clothes.  
"Look, this is an emergency. I need to get to Gate C5..."  
"I'm sorry, sir." The attendant repeated. "A flight ticket can be acquired downstairs on the first floor, which is down the escalator, take a left, an immediate right..."  
"Please. I'm begging you. I...I love this woman. I have to see her. Please."  
  
Her face softened.  
  
"I'm really sorry. It's the airport policy. You don't have authorization..."  
  
Vaughn flashed his CIA badge.  
  
"Please."  
  
Vaughn looked into the attendant's eyes and silently pleaded. She gave and small smile and resignedly said,  
  
"Gate C5 is down past the airport gift shop and directly to your left."  
  
--  
  
Sydney turned as she heard her name being shouted. She had just gotten in line with her carry-on for the 11:45 flight back to Langley when she heard his running footsteps.  
  
"Sydney! Syd!"  
"Vaughn! What are you doing here? How'd you get in without a ticket?"  
"It's not important."  
"What are you talking about, Vaughn?"  
"It's not important." He repeated. "What's important is that I love you. I regret everything that I ever did to hurt you. I regret not telling you how I felt about you in the park..."  
"I..."  
"Syd...I love you. I can't imagine living another day without you. What I wanted to tell you in the park was that it was always you."  
"Vaughn."  
"Please, Sydney, don't go. Don't leave me, again. I've lost you so many times before. I don't think I can go through it again." Vaughn got down on one knee and produced a small velvet box. "I've loved you since the day I met you. I bought this ring for you before you disappeared and I've kept it for five years. Sydney Bristow...will you marry me?"  
  
She looked at him in shock and began nodding with a large smile on her face.  
  
"Yes."  
  
He slid the ring on her finger and kissed her. Those in the airport began clapping and shouting, lucky enough to be able to witness such a spectacle of romance and love. Vaughn hugged her tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder.  
  
"It was always you in my dreams, Michael Vaughn. It was always you." Sydney whispered.  
  
Sydney thought again of those bad dreams, where you keep falling and falling, eventually jolting yourself awake because you're afraid to find out what's next. But she had stopped letting her brain work, finally allowing her heart to take over.  
  
Her heart let her fall and she kept on falling, but she was not afraid, because her heart knew that eventually, she would fall into the arms of her Prince Charming. She would fall in love with Michael Vaughn.  
  
And her heart was right. She was safe, sound, and living in the land of dreams.  
  
--  
  
**A/N**: Wow! Was that long enough for you guys?! Hehe. Well, I'm sorry to say that chapter 39 will be the last chapter, but **_keep checking back for the epilogue_**. Thanks so much for reading....don't forget to leave some comments!  
  
**neptunestar**- hehe. It was my pleasure. =D  
  
**Reesie06**- lol. You're so cute. Is this soon enough for you? Hey, at least it's not another 2 months....haha. I must defend myself in some way.  
  
**mallory**- um...sorry, but I don't remember if I said that Vaughn had dark green eyes or what. I really apologize because I have large memory gaps, haha. I can't even remember what my friend said to me last night. But anyways, tell me where! Because, it's been bugging me!  
  
**dani11e87**- well? Are you crying now? Out of relief? Out of pure touched beauty of written word? LOL. I kid, I kid.  
  
**Ren201**- You hoped that Sydney would get shot?! GASP Why, that is...bad! Hehe. But really, if you thought the last chapter was dramatic, how's this one for ya, eh?  
  
**landi104**- haha. I think we've covered this on AIM. Hehe.  
  
**Serindipity9**- Whhaaat?! MOney?! Mooolah?! For MOI? Why, I am purely offended. This story is for the sole purpose of free entertainment for all...but I actually am a bit short on cash......jk. jk. Thank you, though. That's very nice of you and your friends. Email me whenever you want! Or do I have to stop writing for a looong time to get you to? Buahahahhahah! Again, I kid.  
  
**Valoriahn**- Thank you much! Was this a good length for you, because it really wiped me out! It is currently 4 minutes until 3 am!  
  
Also....great big thanks to: -**maggieann452**-**Masta D**-**haley  
**  
C'mon guys! One more until 400 is broken!! WHoOO! It's like my birthday all over again! 


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